Harbinger
by Finmonster
Summary: Danny Fenton has never had a choice. Dragged around the country by parents who's passion he doesn't not believe in, let alone share, he's always felt. But upon arriving in Blithe Hollow, he finds himself dragged into a world that he didn't think existed. Now Danny has to decide which is worse, the powers that want to destroy the town or those that want his help.
1. Because I Would Not Stop For Death

**Harbinger**

 **Chapter 1: Because I Would Not Stop For Death**

A grey sky promising rain darkened the sky as it often seemed to in the coastal town of Blithe Hollow. Fall had come and, slowly but surely, the trees were changing to their bright, autumnal colors, standing in sharp contrast to the overcast sky above. The sight was a familiar one to the townsfolk and they went obliviously about their daily business as they always did. But one boy, watching through his bedroom window, did not.

Young man would be a closer approximation to the truth, as at his sixteen years, he stood as tall as he ever would but his body had not yet filled out to match. He ran a hand through his messy black hair as he looked out the window, his blue eyes briefly locking with those of his reflection's, the mirror image sitting on its bed just like he was.

A knock on his open snapped the young man out of his thoughts.

"Danny?" the young woman standing in his doorway said, her voice holding a slight tone of concern, "You okay?"

Turning his attention towards the doorway, the young man, Danny, took in the girl before him. She was only slightly older than him and stood only a few inches shorter, her straight, red hair hanging to the middle of her back and held out of her face by a blue hair band.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jazz," Danny replied, quirking an eyebrow at her as he spoke, "Why?"

"You just looked a little….I don't know…." the young woman, Jazz, paused and waved her hand around her face in a vague gesture, "Out of it. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," Danny said with a sigh, shaking his head and turning his attention back towards the window, "I was just, admiring the view, I guess."

"It is a very pretty town," Jazz agreed as she followed his gaze, "Better than some of the other places we've been."

"Yeah," Danny agreed before turning his attention back to Jazz, "Look, I know being all caring and matronly is kind of your thing, but you don't need to worry about me."

"I do, I'm your big sister, it's in the job description," Jazz joked, earning a snort of laughter from Danny, "It's tough moving as much as we do. I know it's been a month but I still wanted make sure you're okay."

"Like I said, I'm fine," Danny stated with a small smile, "Besides you're the one that has it bad. You have to do your senior year in a completely new town."

"I'll manage," Jazz replied with a shrug, "Anyway, I came up here to tell you that your new friend is downstairs waiting for you."

"Tucker?" Danny asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Yeah, that's the one," Jazz answered with a smile.

"And you left him alone with Mom and Dad?" Danny pressed as he hopped to his feet.

"Yeah, what-" Jazz began to ask before letting out a gasp as she covered her mouth in shock, "He doesn't know."

"Well, he does now," Danny stated with an annoyed sigh as he stuffed his wallet into his pocket before throwing a grey, zip-up hoodie over his red and white t-shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Danny, I didn't know," Jazz apologiesed.

"It's done," Danny replied as he scoop his backpack off of the floor and stepped out of his room, "Let's just get down there, okay?"

Jazz nodded in reply and the two made their way over to the stairs before descending to the first floor. There, they were greeted by a room that likely had been intended to be a parlor of some sort, but instead of cozy furniture centered around a television, the room was occupied by at least a dozen computers hooked together and linked to a variety of other machines scattered across the room.

Three people stood in the room. Two of them, a man and a woman, appeared to be in their forties, with the man's short, black hair going grey at the temples. The man stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the room, with a barrel chest and thick arms. The woman next to him was short and petite by comparison, her red hair cut so it hung just past her chin. Both of them wore blue jeans and flannel shirts over black t-shirts that read "Fenton Phantom Finders."

The two adults were talking excitedly with the third person in the room, a young man roughly Danny's age. He was dark-skinned, with short, brown hair mostly hidden under a red beret and a thin, gangly frame that his long-sleeved, yellow t-shirt and green cargo pants hung loosely off of. As Danny and Jazz entered the room, he was examining a handheld electronic device.

"So, this thing detects electromagnetic fields?" the young man questioned, adjusting the glasses over his blue eyes.

"Yes," the woman confirmed with a smile, "And, as you know, ghosts give off unique EMFs, so this device is very useful for tracking them down."

"Right, of course," the young man agreed with a good natured chuckle before looking over at Danny and Jazz, "Hey, Danny, what up, man?"

"Hey Tucker," Danny replied with a shrug as he glanced nervously between the two adults and the young man, "Not much."

"Danny boy!" the man bellowed in greeting, "Why didn't you tell us you made a new friend?"

"He's a very intelligent young man," the woman added with a smile, "You should bring him over to dinner some time."

"That sounds great, Mom, but right now, Tucker and I have to get to school," Danny said quickly, clearly agitated.

"We do?" Tucker questioned in confusion.

"We do," Danny confirmed, giving his friend a pleading look. Nodding in understanding, Tucker made his way over to Danny and the two of them headed for the front door.

"Don't you want some breakfast?" Danny's mother called after him, concern in her voice.

"No, it's okay," Danny called back, "Not hungry. I'll see you later!"

"Bye, love you!" his mother called before sharing her worried look with the man.

Danny and Tucker walked down the sidewalk in silence for a minute, with Danny more interested in the pavement he was walking on than anything else.

"So…." Tucker began to say, trying to break the awkward silence.

"So, yeah," Danny echoed with a sigh, lifting his head up and looking at Tucker as they walked, "My parents are ghost hunters."

"Yeah, I picked up on that, what with all the ghost hunting equipment," Tucker replied with a snort, "Why were you trying to keep it a secret?"

"Because my parents are literally paranormal investigators," Danny answered with a deadpan expression, "It's one of those professions that shouldn't exist, like fortune teller or used car salesman. People usually think I'm weird when they find out."

"Yeah, but those people probably weren't from Blithe Hollow, 'The Most Haunted Town in America,'" Tucker said with a snort of amusement, "I've lived here my whole life. The second most popular religion is Wicca and the lady next door holds seances every Friday night. It takes a lot more than ghost hunters to weird me out."

"Thanks man," Danny said with a small smile, "You don't….it's pretty refreshing to hear that."

"Don't mention it," Tucker replied with a dismissive wave, "So, is that why you moved here? Your parents are trying to track down some ghosts?"

"Pretty much," Danny confirmed with a sigh and a shrug as they turned a corner onto one of the town's main roads, with a variety of shops lining the street and parking meters set up along the curb.

"Well, good luck to them," Tucker stated with an amused chuckle while the two of them walked by a liquor store, "They wouldn't be the first to come sniffing around for spooks. I remember when-"

Tucker was interrupted as the door to the liquor store suddenly swung open and a man stumbled out, bumping into Danny and knocking him to the ground.

"And stay out!" a voice shouted from inside the store before the door swung shut.

"Hey, man, watch it!" Tucker snapped as Danny pushed himself into a seated position and took a look at the man standing over him.

The man was a large one, easily as tall and wide as Danny's own father. Most of his face was covered by a bushy brown beard that was starting to go grey and his blue eyes were wide and bloodshot. He wore dirty green vest over an equally dirty brown coat that covered most of his bulk while a blue trucker hat was perched on his head.

"O-Oh, oh, I'm so sorry," the man mumbled with a deep voice as he looked down at Danny, "Here, let me help you."

"I'm fine," Danny said, holding up a hand to stop the man from stooping down to help him.

"Really, let me help you," the man insisted, holding out his hand for Danny to take.

"Really, I'm-" Danny began to argue, his tone annoyed.

"'Cuse me, cap," a new, heavily accented voice said, "Everydin' okay here?"

Looking up, Danny found a tall, lanky man standing a few feet away. He was dark skinned, with his eyes concealed behind a pair of sunglasses despite the dim lighting of overcast day. He was dressed in a black leisure suit with his the top few buttons of his white shirt undone, and carried himself in a relaxed, easy going way.

"Um, yeah," Tucker spoke up, put off slightly by the man's sudden appearance, "Just had a bit of an accident."

"I see," the man replied, flashing a bright grin as he turned towards Danny and offered him his hand, "Let me help ya up, ponda."

Danny initially felt like objecting, but when he saw the man's friendly smile, he sighed and decided to just take the man's offered hand.

"Dere we are, up ya go," the man said as he helped Danny to his feet, placing his other hand on the young man's shoulder to help steady him, leaning closer to Danny as he did.

"Since den, 'tis centuries, and yet feels shortuh dan a day," the man whispered into Danny's ear, "I first surmised da horses' heads were toward eternity."

"What?" Danny asked, quickly backing away from the man, pulling his hand back as he did, "What did you just say?"

"I asked if ya were okay," the man said, giving Danny a confused smile, "Ya sure ya okay, ponda? Didn't hit yer head on the way down or nothin', did ya?"

"I-I'm fine," Danny replied, confused and on edge.

"Ya friend here looka like he had one too many," the man continued, pointing towards the large man who had knocked Danny over, "Ain't dat right, cap?"

Danny followed the man's gaze towards the second man and found to his surprise that the large man was openly staring at the thin man, his face pale and his eyes wide and dilated. Danny could see the man's chest rising and falling quickly while the rest of his body was stock still, almost as if he was afraid any movement would give him away. To Danny, it seemed like the man was staring death in the face.

"I think it's time for ya to head on home, cap," the tall man said as he walked up to the large man and pat him on the chest, right above his heart, which caused the large man to flinch away violently, "Don't ya think?"

"Y-Yeah," the man mumbled as he started backing away, "Yeah, I think I'll head home."

With that, the large man turned away from them and began lightly jogging away, glancing back over his shoulder a couple of time as if he was afraid they would follow him before disappearing around a corner.

After the large man left, the tall man let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"Some people, am I right?" the tall man said before he began walking in the opposite direction the large man had gone in, giving Danny and Tucker a small wave as he went, "Have a nice day!"

"Well, that was weird," Danny commented as he watch the tall man disappear around the corner that he and Tucker had come from.

"Welcome to Blithe Hollow," Tucker replied with a snort before signalling for Danny to follow him as he began walking the way they had been going before.

"Who were those guys?" Danny questioned as he fell into step next to Tucker.

"The big guy?" Tucker asked for clarification, earning a nod from Danny, "That's Mr. Penderghast. In a town as crazy as this one, he has the distinction of being the local crank."

"And the other guy?" Danny inquired, glancing over his shoulder, even though the tall man was long gone.

"Never seen him before in my life," Tucker answered with a shrug, "It's getting to be tourist season, so you'll be seeing a lot of odd people from out of town. You'll get used to it."

"Right," Danny replied, turning back around just in time to stop himself from walking to someone.

"Hey," the man said, his voice light with what sounded to Danny like an accent from somewhere in the Middle East, as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder to stop him, "Watch where you are going!"

"Sorry!" Danny quickly apologized as he looked up at the man.

The man was tall, though not as tall as the other man or Penderghast had been. He was solidly built and skin was so dark that it was practically black, causing the whites of his narrowed, brown eyes to stand out sharply. His head was shaved bald and he was dressed in an expensive looking black suit, a suitcase clutched in his hand.

Danny moved to go around the man to let him pass, but the man clutched his shoulder tightly, holding the young man in place and prompting him to look at the man in confusion.

"We passed before the house that seemed a swelling of the ground," the man said solemnly, looking Danny directly in the eye as he spoke, "The roof was scarcely visible, the cornice in the ground."

"What?" Danny questioned, looking at the man in surprise and confusion.

"I said you need to pay better attention," the man stated before taking his hand off of Danny's shoulder and briskly walking away.

"Today is not your day, huh, man?" Tucker questioned as Danny turned around to watch the man walk away.

"Did you hear that guy say something weird to me just now?" Danny questioned, turning to look at Tucker in confusion.

"What?" Tucker asked, looking perplexed, "No, he just told you to pay attention. You okay, man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I…." Danny trailed off as he shook his head and began walking down the street again, "Come on, we don't want to be late."

As they walked, Danny could hear someone shouting loudly from up ahead. Looking Danny saw a bedraggled looking man standing on a box at the entrance of an alleyway. He was dressed in a dirty green jacket over an equally dirty grey sweatshirt, the hood pulled up, covering his brown hair and obscuring his unshaven face.

"Repent, sinners!" the man screamed at those walking by, who were all doing their best to ignore him, "Repent, for the end is nigh! Our Lord on high shall soon come down from heaven and cast those with darkness in their hearts into the fiery pits of Hell!"

"I thought you said Penderghast was the town crank?" Danny questioned as they walked by the street preacher.

"There is fierce competition over that title, trust me," Tucker replied with a chuckle.

Danny laughed as well, glancing over his shoulder at the street preacher again. As he did, the preacher turned towards him and locked eyes with Danny.

"Or rather, he passed us," the street preacher called, "The dews drew quivering and chill. For only gossamer, my gown, my tippet, only tulle."

Danny started back at the words and quickly turned to face forward again.

"Seriously, dude," Tucker spoke up with concern as he saw the spooked look on Danny's face, "Are you okay? You seem really jumpy."

"I don't know, man," Danny replied, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, "I feel like…."

Danny trailed off as his eyes drifted over to a woman they were approaching. She was tall and broad of shoulder, her blonde hair tied back in a bun. She wore a police officer's uniform, over which she had on a bright orange safety vest, with a round black hat on her head. She glanced away from the pad of paper she had been writing on and met Danny's gaze with her icy blue eyes.

"We passed the school, where children strove at recess in the ring," the woman whispered, her words chilling Danny to the bone, "We passed the fields of gazing grain. We passed the setting sun."

Danny stumbled as the woman passed him, managing to catch himself on the sign for a bus stop before he could fall over. Danny looked back at the woman as the people waiting at the bus stop looked at him in alarm, but the woman merely turned away from him and continued down the sidewalk.

Danny was still watching her when Tucker ran up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, man, that's it," Tucker said, placing one of his arms under Danny's to help straighten him, "You're clearly not feeling well today. I'll walk you back home and you can get some rest.  
"I….Yeah, sure….that's-" Danny began to reply, blinking his eyes as the woman disappeared from view, glancing around at the crowd as he did. While most of the small group of people who had been waiting for the bus were gathering around Danny with looks of concern, one was openly staring at him, catching the young man's attention.

The person was a boy, no older than twelve, with brown hair that seemed to stick straight into the air. He was dressed in a red jacket that seemed to hang off his skinny frame along with a pair of blue jeans and red sneakers. What caught Danny's attention though were his eyes, wide, blue eyes beneath thick eyebrows that seemed to stare through Danny.

"We slowly drove, he knew no haste," the boy said as he stepped off the curb and began slowly backing into the street, "And I put away my labor and my leisure too, for his civility."

As the boy's words faded, a new series of sounds caught Danny's attention. The rumble of an engine, the grinding of wheels against pavement and the blaring of a horn. Glancing to the side, Danny's eyes widened in horror as he saw a bus rapidly approaching the bus stop, barreling straight towards the boy as he stepped further into the street.

Acting on instinct, Danny pushed himself to his feet and lunged forward, shoving people out of the way as the bus blared its horn and slammed on its brakes while onlookers let out cries of shock and horror. Reaching the curb, Danny pushed off of it in a flying leap, stretching out his arms and shoving the boy in the chest. The boy was knocked clear of the bus by the push and Danny had enough time to turn to look at the bus.

Through the window of the bus, Danny could see the driver, an elderly, bone-thin man with long, stringy, white hair dressed in a light blue uniform with matching baseball cap. As time seemed to slow down, two things occurred to Danny. One was that the bus driver had yellow eyes.

The other was that he was smiling at Danny.

A sickening crunch followed with blinding pain and the world spun around Danny. A second later, Danny found himself laying on his back in the street, looking up at the grey, overcast sky. His body screamed with so much pain that his mind could not process it all and he lay on the black pavement twitching and gasping for a breath that would never come. Somewhere in the distance, people were calling for an ambulance and Danny could have sworn he heard Tucker screaming his name.

But all that fell away, all the pain and noise left Danny as five people stepped into view. Five people who formed a circle around Danny. Five people he recognized instantly.

The tall stranger, the street preacher, the businessman, the meter maid, and the bus driver.

"Because I could not stop for Death," the bus driver wheezed, his voice sounding like trapped air escaping a corpse, "So, he kindly stopped for me."

As the bus driver spoke, the five people changed. There was no intermediary period where there forms shifted. They were simply as they had appeared one moment, and different the next.

The street preacher was now dressed in a pristine white robe over which he wore gleaming silver armor. The hood of his robe was pulled up, casting his entire head in shadow, obscuring all his features save his eyes that now glowed with an eerie blue flame. Black, feathered wings sprouted from his back and a flaming sword hung from the belt around his waist.

The tall stranger still wore a black leisure suit, but it was rough and moldy now, the white, button-up shirt he wore under it now stained with dirt. A tall top hat now adorned his head and he rested his weight on a walking cane made of polished ebony. What caught Danny's attention though was the man's face, which was now painted white like a skull.

The businessman had changed the most. He was now dressed in nothing more that a gold kilt that hung down to his knees, showing off his muscled skin that was as black as onyx. A ceremonial headdress adorned his head, which Danny realized was now that of a jackal's, it's eyes glowing red.

The meter maid was now dressed for battle, wearing iron scale mail and a matching horned helmet. Her blonde hair ran down to her shoulders, woven into elaborate braids, and a fur cloak hung from her shoulder. Danny could see that her arms were covered by dozens of scars and a long spear was held in one of her hands.

Finally, the bus driver was now dressed in a long, brown robes that hung in tatters, a long, wooden pole held in his gnarled, bony hand. A wide brimmed hat sat upon his head, casting his face in shadows save for his now glowing yellow eyes.

"The carriage held but ourselves," the bus driver continued as the five of them began reaching down towards Danny, their forms blocking out the light of the sun, "And immortality."

A/N: So, this has been a story that's been germinating in my mind for a couple of years and I finally decided to start jotting it down. Thought it might be interesting to take a darker look at a cartoon from my youth and throw some extra crossovers in to boot. Tell me what you guys think! Also, bonus points for those who can identify who the five figures are before I reveal it in the next chapter! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!


	2. Don't Fear the Reaper

**Chapter 2: Don't Fear the Reaper**

"Next!" a nasally voice called and Danny opened his eyes with a gasp, letting out hacking coughs as air filled his lungs after what felt like an eternity. As his coughs subsided, Danny was able to take in his surroundings and was shocked by what he saw.

"Is this…." Danny paused to swallow, his throat dry, "Is this a waiting room?"

Sure enough, Danny found himself sitting in a large room bereft of anything save a few chairs and coffee tables that were covered with magazines that he realized were years, if not decades, out of date. One side of the room was occupied by a long table that had been sectioned off like that of a bank with a person sitting at each. Most of the chairs in the waiting room were occupied and Danny noticed that they were all in a wide and varied style of dress.

What truly caught Danny's attention though was the lack of any doors leading out of the room.

"Where the hell am I?" Danny questioned as he continued to look around in confusion.

"Close, kid, but not quite," a voice said to Danny's left, causing him to jump in alarm.

Turning to his side, Danny found a man sitting in the chair next to him. He was dressed in an old fashioned suit that looked like it had seen better days. What caught Danny's attention though was the bullet hole directly between the man's eyes.

Danny flinched back reflexively, trying to put as much distance between himself and the dead man as his chair would allow.

"Geez, kid, you don't exactly look pretty either," the man replied with an offended tone, "You get hit by a bus or something?"

Confused by the question, Danny looked down at himself and let out a choked gasp of shock. Three of his fingers were clearly broken, jutting at odd angles that were sickening to look upon. His clothes were torn and bloodied while his left foot sat at an odd angle that made Danny think it was broken as well. Reaching up, Danny began to touch his face, finding his nose crooked and a long gash in his forehead, his fingertips slick with blood after touching it.

What chilled Danny to the bone though was the fact that he felt no pain from his injuries. It was at that moment, in fact, that Danny realized he couldn't feel anything at all.

"I said next!" a voice called from the long desk, snapping Danny out of his thoughts, "Now serving number thirty seven."

"Thirty seven?" the man sitting next to Danny grumbled and the young man saw him pull out what seemed to be a ticket before looking at it, "I swear they're counting backwards now."

As Danny saw this, he unconsciously reached his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt, a look of confusion forming on his face as he found something within. Slowly pulling it out, Danny found a ticket in his pocket with the number thirty seven printed on it in large, black numerals.

"I repeat," the voice from the desk spoke again, catching Danny's attention, "Now serving number thirty seven."

"Um, I'm number thirty seven!" Danny spoke up, standing up from his chair and raising his hand above his head to show the ticket. The other occupants look towards Danny in surprise as he began making his way towards the desk.

"What!?" the man who had been sitting next to Danny suddenly shouted. Glancing over his shoulder, Danny saw the man leap to his feet before he began marching towards the young man while glaring at him.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting here!?" the man bellowed as he advanced on Danny, "You think you can just come in here and jump the line!? Give me that ticket!"

As he got to Danny, the man reached out to grab the ticket from the young man's hand. Reacting instinctively, Danny moved his arm so that the ticket was out of reach of the man's grasp. Pushing forward, the man threw his weight against Danny as he reached for the ticket, ultimately knocking them both off balance and sending them tumbling to the floor. Danny was surprised for a moment that he didn't feel any pain after falling so hard on his back, but the thought was forgotten as the man began crawling over him, trying to take the ticket from his hand.

"Hey, break it up!" the voice over the loudspeaker demanded, but the man continued to wrestle with Danny for the ticket. Then, just as it seemed like the man would take the ticket from Danny, he suddenly froze on top of the young man. Blinking in confusion, Danny looked at the man's face, seeing a look of horror as the man looked at something behind them. Tilting his head back, Danny's eyes widened with fear as he saw what was approaching them.

At its core, the creature resembled a dog, specifically a Doberman Pinscher, with a sleek, canine form, pitch black fur and pointed ears. The similarities ended there though. The dog was at least twice the size of a normal example of it's breed, appearing more on par with a large wolf. It's eyes gave off an angry, red glow and black tendrils of smoke seeped out of it's mouth and nostrils. The dog snarled as it approached them, showing off savage, pointed teeth and letting out a growl that seemed to shake the air around it.

"Please get off the young man and retake your seat, sir," the voice over the loudspeaker instructed as the dog continued growling at him, "We don't want any….trouble."

"Right, of course!" the man said as he quickly pulled himself off Danny, laughing nervously while holding his hands up in a sign of surrender, "I'll just-just go back to my seat now."

"Thank you, sir," the voice stated, the dog continuing to watch the man as he practically ran back to his seat before turning away from Danny and stalking away, "Now serving number thirty seven."

Blinking and shaking his head clear, Danny quickly pulled himself to his feet and made his way over to the row of desks. Glancing around, Danny spotted a flashing light above one of the desks and made his way over to it.

Stopping in front of the desk, Danny found a woman in her late twenties sitting on the other side. Despite having a grey complexion and a glazed look in her eyes, nothing about her seemed unusual, though she was dressed in a business style that Danny knew was popular in the eighties.

"Name?" the woman questioned, not looking at Danny as she filled out some paperwork.

"Um….I'm sorry," Danny apologized as he looked at the woman in confusion, "I'm….I'm a little lost at the moment. W-Where am I?"

The woman paused in her work before she slowly lifted her dull gaze towards him, her expression devoid of any emotion.

"Name?" she repeated, a bit more firmly this time.

"Oh, uh, Danny, er, Daniel Fenton," he answered, feeling a bit unnerved by the woman's gaze.

Apparently satisfied with the answer, the woman turned her gaze away from Danny and looked at the computer monitor that took up most of her desk, a model that looked like it had also come from sometime in the eighties as well. Wordlessly, she typed a few commands onto the keyboard while her eyes listlessly scanned the screen.

"Ah, here you are," the woman stated after a few moments before arching a curious eyebrow, "Expedited request straight from the top. Somebody's important."

"I….I don't know about that," Danny replied, growing more confused every moment, "But now can you tell me what's going on? Where am I?"

The woman ignored him as she pulled out a file, opened it, stamped it and handed it to Danny. As she did, Danny noticed a large gash across the woman's wrist, cutting straight through the veins.

"Take this and go through the door at the end," the woman explained as she nodded in the direction that Danny needed to go in, "And to answer your question, your dead. Welcome to the afterlife. Next!"

The woman shouted the last word, causing Danny to jump away from her in surprise, clutching the file she had handed him to his chest. Taking a few steps away from the desk, Danny blinked in confusion. Slowly, his attention turned towards the file in his hands. Opening it, Danny found that the file was about him, documenting his life, with pictures and detailed notes. Flipping to the last page, Danny's face turned pale as he found what looked like a crime scene report about him being hit by the bus. What caught Danny's attention though were the words "Death Pending" stamped across the page in bright red ink.

A pensive expression crossing his features, Danny closed the file and turned his attention in the direction the woman behind the desk had indicated towards. To Danny's surprise, a door now sat in the wall near the end of the row of desk, even though the young man was certain there had not been there before. The door was unremarkable though it was guarded by the demonic dog that Danny had seen earlier, along with a man dressed in an all-black security guard uniform.

Gulping nervously, Danny took a moment to steel himself before he walked over to the door.

The guard and his dog eyed Danny as he approached, the hound letting out a low growl of warning that stopped the young man cold a few feet from the guard.

"Papers," the guard demanded as Danny noticed a small name tag attached to his shirt that read "Minos."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Danny replied, hesitantly handing the file to Minos while keeping one eye on his dog. Minos snatched the file from Danny's hand and quickly flipped through it, glancing up suspiciously at the young man every few moments while doing so.

"Well, everything seems to be in order," Minos commented as he handed the file back to Danny, "You may pass."

Stepping back, Mino took the knob of the door and opened it, ushering Danny through it with his other hand.

"Have a good day, sir," Minos intoned, absolutely no emotion in his voice as he spoke.

"You too?" Danny replied uncertainly as he stepped through the door, Minos slamming it behind him so hard that the young man jumped in surprise and whirled back around to face the door. Only now a plain, grey stone wall faced Danny without any sign that there had ever been a door there at all.

Stepping away from the wall, Danny glanced around at his surroundings. He found himself in a long hallway made out of the same grey stone. The hall had a vaulted ceiling and was lit by torches set in scones every couple of yards. Danny looked around for any indication of where he was supposed to go, but the tunnel seemed to go on forever in either direction.

"Finally," a voice suddenly said, causing Danny to jump and let out a squawk of surprise, "I was startin' to worry ya wouldn't get through dere until da end of da century."

Turning to look down the hall, Danny suddenly found the tall black man he had seen before approaching him. He had appeared as he had before Danny had blacked out, with a tall top hat, a cane in his hand and white face paint covering his features.

"S-Stay away!" Danny shouted, his eyes wide with fright as he quickly backed away from the man, pressing his back against the stone wall in the process, "D-Don't come any closer!"

"Easy, podna, easy," the man said with a chuckle, holding up his hands in a placating gesture, "I ain't here to hurt ya."

"The hell you aren't!" Danny retorted as he continued to back away from the tall man, "You were there! You were standing over me when I…."

"When ya died?" the tall man offered, his voice gentle.

Danny looked away from the tall man, his eyes turning distant as he stopped speaking for a moment.

"Why were you there?" Danny questioned.

"I was doin' my job," the tall man answered.

"Your job?" Danny asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

"Of course, how rude, I went and forgot to introduce myself," the tall man said as he doffed his top hat and bowed deeply to Danny, "Ya may know me as Baron Samedi."

"I-I can't say I've ever heard of you," Danny stated with a somewhat apologetic tone.

"Dat's a shame," Samedi replied with a tired sigh as he straightened back up and placed his hat back on top of his head, "I imagine ya've heard of voodoo though?"

"Uh yeah, I guess," Danny answered with a shrug, "Zombies and dolls with needles. Stuff like that, right?"

"Dat's da part Hollywood likes to tell ya about, yes," Samedi answered with a sigh and a roll of his eyes, "But it is much more dan dat. It's a religion dedicated to da worship of da Loa, powerful spiritual beings like myself."

"Are you….are you saying you're a god?" Danny questioned, his eyes widening.

"Dat's a tricky designation dat can mean a lot of thin's," Samedi replied, shaking his hand in a "so-so" gesture, "It doesn't really describe what I am."

"Then what does?" Danny asked hesitantly.

"What I am goes by many names," Samedi explained, "Psychopomp. Shingami. Ya, though, would probably best know me as a reapuh."

"A reaper?" Danny questioned, his face growing pale, "As in, like, a spirit of death?"

"Essentially, yes," Samedi answered with a grin and a nod of his head.

"So what, do you get my soul now?" Danny asked nervously.

"See, now ya're confusin' a reapuh with a lord of da underworld," Samedi stated, "I'm more of a guide dan a ruler. Speakin' of which."

With that, Samedi turned away from Danny and began walking down the hall, gesturing for the young man to follow him.

"Come," Samedi ordered as he walked, "We got place to be and people to see."

"Wait, what?" Danny asked in confusion as he chased after Samedi, the reaper's cane clicking on the stone floor as he walked, "Where are we going?"

"Ya got a meetin' to attend," Samedi explained as Danny hustled to keep up with the reaper's long stride, "Can't keep people waitin'."

"A meeting?" Danny questioned in confusion, "A meeting with who?"

"Ya'll see soon enough," Samedi answered with a grin before he paused and turned to a section of the wall that, to Danny, looked exactly like any other section, "Ah yes, here we be."

Holding out his cane, Samedi rapped a quick pattern on the stone wall, the sound echoing down the hallway. A second later, a split suddenly appeared in the stone, an eerie, green light flowing out and illuminating the hallway. Danny needed to hold his hand up in front of his face in order to shield his eyes from the light as the crack opened into a passageway. Blinking his eyes clear, Danny slowly lowered his hand and peered through the door that Samedi had opened.

Before Danny was a large room with a vaulted ceiling that was held up by row upon row of Corinthian columns. The whole structure seemed to be made out of marble, giving it a cold look. As Danny observed the room, he noticed that green motes running down the columns, flowing from the ceiling down into the floor.

As Danny looked around, he saw shapes flitting between the columns. Focusing on them, Danny saw that they were vaguely humanoid in shape, though any details were hidden beneath the ragged, black robes they wore.

"What are those?" Danny questioned, pointing at one of the robed figures as it floated past.

"Reapuhs," Samedi explained as he began walking into the room, Danny moving to follow him.

"Why don't you look like that, then?" Danny inquired as he eyed Samedi.

"Cause dey lesser reapuhs," Samedi elaborated, as they walked through the room, the green lights casting strange, dancing shadows across both of their faces, "Dey de run of de mill variety dat handle all de little tasks dat come with mindin' de souls of de dead."

"So, what does that make you?" Danny questioned.

"I suppose ya'd call me a greater reapuh," Samedi answered, "We're de best of de best, _de_ _creme de la creme_. De reapuhs powerful enough to work with Death himself."

"Wait, himself?" Danny asked in confusion, "Death is a….person?"

"Well, of course," Samedi answered with a grin, "Who did ya think ya were havin' a meetin' with?"

Danny's face paled and he faltered for half a step.

"Come on, keep up!" Samedi called over his shoulder as he continued through the hall, "Death don't like to be kept waitin'!"

Nodding, Danny hustled forward so he was keeping up with Samedi as they reached the far end of the hall. At the end was a set of large double doors made out of some sort of black wood reinforced with iron. As they walked up to the doors, they suddenly began opening of their own accord, allowing Danny and Samedi to walk through.

The room beyond was similar to the one Danny and Samedi had just left, though it lacked the series of pillars they had seen before. Instead, the room was a shorter hall with five smaller doors branching off of it. Another set of double doors lay on the opposite side of the room.

As they entered, Danny noticed a figure leaning against one of the walls. He instantly recognized the person as the bus driver who had struck him, dressed in a long cloak and a wide brimmed hat that shaded most of his face, revealing only his eerie, glowing eyes.

"Samedi," the man greeted with a raspy voice, "I see you managed to find the boy."

Danny froze as he saw the old man, which only caused him to grin as he turned his attention towards the young man.

"What's the matter, boy?" the old man questioned, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"More that I'm looking at the guy who hit me with a bus," Danny answered, his eye narrowing at the old man.

"It was an accident," the man replied with a shrug, still grinning at Danny as he spoke, "Somebody had to do it."

"That's enough, Charon," the jackal-headed man admonished as he stepped out of one of the rooms, glaring at the old man while crossing his muscular arms over his broad chest, "You know why we brought the boy here. There's no point in fostering ill will."

"Who's fostering anything, Anubis?" the old man, Charon, questioned, raising his hands in a gesture of appeasement, "I'm just happy to get my hands dirty after so many centuries of desk work."

"Only you would consider hitting a young man with a bus as he saves another's life to be 'getting your hands dirty,' ferryman," the large woman said as she stepped out of another room.

"Enough chatter," the final person, an angel as far as Danny could tell, stated as he stepped into view, "Let's see the boy."

Danny took a hesitant step backwards as the four of them walked up to him, stopping only when Samedi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Dere's nothin' to be afraid of, ponda," Samedi said, grinning down at Danny as he spoke, "We ain't gonna to kill ya again."

Danny gulped and nodded, clearly not reassured.

"Now, let me introduce ya to my compatriots," Samedi said before gesturing to the old man, "Ya're already familiar with Charon, de ferryman of de River Styx."

"Like from Greek mythology?" Danny questioned as he eyed Charon.

"The same," Charon answered with a grin as he glanced over at Samedi, "I'm guessing you had to explain who you are."

"And dis," Samedi continued, ignoring Charon's jab as he gestured to the jackal-headed man, "Is Anubis, god of mummification and de judge of de dead."

Anubis gave Danny a solemn nod.

"Here is Brunhilda, de leader of de valkyries," Samedi continued as he motioned towards the broad-shouldered woman.

"Well met, Daniel Fenton," Brunhilda stated, giving Danny a nod as well.

"And finally, we got Azrael, de Angel of Death," Samedi finished as he motioned towards the angel in question, who gave no greeting.

"This is the one?" Azrael questioned, ignoring Danny to look at Samedi, "This scrawny boy is the one we went through all this trouble for?"

"Dat's for de boss to decide," Samedi replied neutrally, "Is he ready?"

"He has been awaiting your arrival," Anubis answered.

"Well, we shouldn't keep him waitin' den, should we?" Samedi questioned as he grinned down at Danny.

"I suppose not," Danny gulped in reply.

Motioning for Danny to follow him, Samedi began making his way over the large door at the other end of the room. As they approached, Danny noticed clouds of green smoke seeping out from underneath the door.

"Now, dis is someone who requires no introduction," Samedi stated as he continued towards the door while motioning for Danny to stay behind, "But he so loves to make an entrance dat I can't help but oblige him."

Stopping a short distance from the doors, Samdi turned to face Danny.

"So please, allow me to introduce to ya to de one responsible for shufflin' ya off dat mortal coil," Samedi continued as he began waving his arms about dramatically, "He's been called many thin's over many centuries. De Pale Rider and de Harvester of Souls! De Fourth Horseman of de Apocalypse! De Great Equalizer and even de Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come! But most know him best as de GRIM REAPER!"

As Samedi finished, the doors behind him suddenly exploded outwards and a thick cloud of green smoke surged forward on a howling , swallowing Samedi, and then Danny, whole. Danny coughed as the cloud rolled over him and shielded his eyes against the wind pushing it. After the wind died down, Danny lowered his arm, only to find a figure standing before him.

The first thing Danny noted was the person was tall, looming over him more than even Samedi had. He, at least Danny guessed it was a he, wore a tattered, black cloak voluminous enough to drag across the ground and hide his features in shadow. The only part of him that Danny could see was the hand that gripped the giant scythe he carried. The hand was skeletal, the bones yellow with age and covered in gossamer strands of cobweb. The scythe was an old thing, the bone white birch it had been carved from warped and pitted. The scythe's blade was nearly as long as Danny was tall, and appeared rusted in places. The only other ornamentation that the figure otherwise wore was a rusted chain wrapped around his waist, from which hung a large hourglass filled with glowing green sand.

Slowly, the figure leaned down towards Danny, who found himself frozen in place, his feet rooted in place even as his brain screamed at him to move and his heart pounded in his chest. Even as the figure leaned in closer, Danny could not make out any of its features other than two orbs of glowing green light that the young man took to be the figure's eyes.

"Hello, Danny Fenton," the Grim Reaper said, his voice the sound of wind passing over a grave, his breathe the smell of air in an unopened tomb, "You an' I 'ave much to discuss."

A/N: Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!


	3. Cheating Death

**Chapter 3: Cheating Death**

Danny could do nothing but gulped nervously as he looked up at the Grim Reaper looming over him.

"Why don't ya step into me parlor, Danny?" the Grim Reaper suggested as he moved to the side and gestured towards the door from which he had emerged.

Danny did not move, feeling as if he was frozen to the spot, his mortal terror holding his knees locked in place and turning his feet into lead weights.

"It's alrigh', ponda," Samedi said from behind Danny as he nudged the young man in the back with his cane, "It ain't like any o' us can kill ya 'gain."

While this did not make Danny feel any better, the nudge in the back still prompted the young man to start walking forward, the green smoke that seemed to billow out from underneath the Grim Reaper's cloak swirling around him as he went. As he moved past the hooded figure, Danny felt the Reaper step behind him and begin following him through the doors, the embodiment of death's presence sending a cold shiver down his spine.

As the two of them stepped through the doors, they suddenly slammed shut with a thunderous boom that caused Danny to jump in surprise. As the door closed, Danny found that the room they were in now was pitch black, the Reaper having disappeared in the inky darkness.

Fumbling around in the dark, Danny looked for any sign of the Reaper's presence or for something to illuminate his surroundings. As he did, Danny noticed a faint blue light that began emanating from somewhere nearby. Turning his attention towards the light, Danny began walking towards it.

It took Danny longer than he had expected to reach the light source, the darkness around him seemingly stretching on forever. As he drew closer, Danny could see that the light source was not a single one but dozens upon dozens of small, pale blue lights. Each of the lights, which appeared to be a ethereal flames, were contained in round glass jars, arranged on a towering set of shelves carved out of warped birchwood.

His brow furrowed, Danny stepped closer to the shelves so that he could get a better look at the flames. As he did, Danny noticed that the balls of flame appeared to possess features like those of a person. His expression growing even more confused, Danny stepped closer to the shelf and reached out to touch one of the jars.

"I'd be careful wit' dose if I was you," the Reaper's voice whispered from somewhere in the darkness, making Danny jump in surprise and bump against the shelves slightly, causing their contents to rattle ominously.

Turning towards the source of the voice, Danny watched as the Reaper glided back into view, illuminated by the glow of the bound flames. He stopped in front of the shelves and lifted one of his bony fingers to gently nudge one of the jars away from the edge that it had shifted towards.

"What are those?" Danny questioned as he looked up at the Reaper.

"Souls," the Reaper answered simply.

"Souls?" Danny repeated in confusion, "Why do you have a shelf full of souls? I thought the whole point of this operation was to bring souls to their final destinations?"

"Dis is deir final destination," the Reaper explained.

"I don't understand," Danny stated with a shake of his head, "Why did you bring me here? Why are you showing me this?"

There was a long pause as the Reaper turned his gaze towards Danny and studied him, the weight of it making Danny want to curl up into a ball in sheer mortal terror. After a moment, the Reaper turned his attention back towards the shelf, looking it over for a moment before reaching out and picking one of the jars up.

"Wat ya see?" the Reaper questioned as he leaned down to hold the jar in front of Danny. The young man glanced up at the Reaper in confusion before turning his attention to the jar and it's contents. Danny studied the soul within the jar for a few, quiet moments before he was able to make out the features of a face. As the image became clearer, Danny froze as his eyes widened in shock. The features were that of an elderly woman, her round, warm countenance wrinkled with laugh lines and crow's feet. It was a face Danny recognized immediately.

"This…." Danny began to say, pausing to gulp nervously before continuing, "This is my great aunt."

"Dat's right," the Reaper confirmed as he plucked the jar out of Danny's hands before holding it aloft as he examined it, "Ethel Fenton. Died in 'er sleep when ya were ten years old."

"Why do you have my great aunt's soul?" Danny questioned cautiously.

"'Cause it got nowhere else ta go," the Reaper explained as he placed the jar back on the shelf.

"Nowhere…." Danny began to say before he paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, his fear giving way to frustration, "What does that mean?"

"It mean dat you, Daniel Fenton, are an anomaly," the Reaper answered with a sigh, his tone that of an adult talking to a child, "Dat you, yer father, yer sister, yer grandmother, yer entire family line should not be."

"Shouldn't be?" Danny questioned, fear and confusion warring in his chest, "I don't understand. How can my whole family be something that's not supposed to exist?"

"'Cause one a yer line defied what should a been," the Reaper elaborated, "'E defied me."

"Defied you?" Danny questioned, a cold sense of dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Cheated me," the Reaper clarified, his gaze turning to one of cold fury that shook Danny to his core.

"Ch-cheated you…." Danny repeated as his eyes widened in understanding, "You mean he cheated death."

The Reaper's silence spoke volumes.

"How?" Danny questioned, bewildered, "Who was he?"

In response, the Reaper turned his attention back towards the shelves before he reached up and grabbed a glass jar from the very top. Taking it down, the Reaper examined the jar for a moment before handing it to Danny. Danny hesitantly accepted the jar before he looked down at the soul held within.

After a moment, the features of the soul became readily apparent. The person within was male, with a strong jawline and a pointed nose. His hair was jet black like Danny's, though the man's was threaded with stripes of silver. A well-groomed goatee grew around his mouth.

"So, this guy is an ancestor of mine?" Danny questioned.

"Sir Alistair Fenton," the Reaper answered, "Soldier, chess prodigy, an' student a de occult."

"So, what did this guy to do you?" Danny inquired, "How exactly did he cheat death?"

The Reaper reached down and plucked the jar from Danny's hands before holding it up and examining it.

"Are ya familiar wit de legend a Orpheus?" the Reaper questioned, not looking at Danny as he spoke.

"Not really," Danny admitted.

"He was a ancient Greek musician" the Reaper explained, "Possibly the greatest musician a his age or any age, but de only love he ever truly 'ad was fer 'is wife, Eurydice."

"What happened?" Danny questioned.

"She died, as all tings do," the Reaper answered, "But Orpheus 'ad other plans."

"What did he do?" Danny inquired.

"He descended inta de Underworld ta get 'er soul back," the Reaper explained, "It appear yer ancestor was inspired by dis."

"He tried to get his wife's soul back?" Danny questioned.

"He tried ta make sure it never left," the Reaper answered.

"Okay, I think that's enough beating around the bush," Danny said with an annoyed sigh, "Just tell me what happened."

The Reaper's response was to give Danny a long, quiet stare that sent shivers of mortal terror through the young man again, but he managed to suppress it after a moment.

"That's not going to work, you know," Danny said defiantly, "What are you going to do anyway? Kill me again?"

"I'm considerin' it," the Reaper answered.

The answer caught Danny off guard but he ignored the questions that sprung to mind as the Reaper lifted a hand, green fire dancing across his bony fingers. With a flick of his wrist, the Reaper sent the flame falling to the ground, where it grew to Danny's height, though he felt no heat from it, despite the fact it burned mere feet from him. As Danny watched, the flames began to coalesce into a humanoid shape, forming the features of a beautiful woman wearing a medieval-style dress depicting her as she walked.

"Katherine Fenton, Alistair's wife," the Reaper explained, "Born April twelfth, fifteen hundred an' twenty one, died October twenty second, fifteen hundred an' forty tree. De cause a death was being bitten by a viper while on a walk trough de manor grounds."

The burning image changed as the Reaper spoke, showing a snake slither up to the woman and bite her on the ankle, causing her to cry out in silent pain.

"At least, dat was how it was supposed ta go," the Reaper continued, "But her husband had oter ideas."

The image then changed again, depicting Alistar sitting by Katherine's bedside, gripping one of Katherine's hands in his own, his head dipped down in apparent sorrow. As Danny watched, Alistair suddenly jumped up, anger clear on his features. The image continued to shift, moving rapidly now as if he was watching a video put in fast forward. Danny watched as Alistair set up candles on the floor before drawing symbols on the floor and walls. Then he returned to his seat and waited. It was only then that Danny noticed that Katherine had gone deathly still.

"What did he do?" Danny questioned.

"He made an entrapment seal," the Reaper explained, "An impressive one, in fact."

"For you?" Danny inquired.

"For dem," the Reaper answered.

"Them?" Danny questioned in confusion, "What do you mean, them?"

As if to answer Danny's question, the image of Alistair retook his seat by Katherine's side while putting his hand into his pocket. Pulling his hand back out, Danny could see that Alistair now held a small vial. Opening the vial, Alistair took a goblet that was sitting nearby and emptied the contents of the vial into it. Alistair then spent a moment inspecting the goblet before he turned his attention towards Katherine. Reaching out, Alistair took her limp hand in his and gave it a squeeze before downing the contents of the goblet in a single gulp. For a moment, nothing happened, but then suddenly Alistair's body began to spasm violently, causing him to drop the goblet onto the ground while his other hand locked into a death grip on his wife's. After another hectic moment, Alistair suddenly went limp and lay still in his chair. As Danny continued to watch, Alistair's eyes fluttered open again and he stood up, only he left a copy of himself sitting in the chair as he did. Looking closer, Danny could see that the standing form of Alistair appeared to be slightly translucent.

"He killed himself," Danny observed.

"Wat he aimed ta do was not a task fer de livin'," the Reaper replied.

The flaming image changed to show the Reaper himself appearing on the other side of Katherine's bedside. As Danny watched, the Reaper in the flames looked down at Katherine before turning his attention towards Alistair and holding out one of his bony hands towards the man, motioning for him to give the cloaked spirit something. Alistair, for his part, leapt to his feet as he shook his head and angrily gestured at the Reaper. After a moment, he turned and gestured for the Reaper to follow him.

"What's he doing now?" Danny inquired.

"He has challenged me ta a contest fer Katherine's soul," the Reaper explained.

"Wait, that's a thing you can actually do?" Danny questioned in surprise.

"No, it ain't," the Reaper replied firmly.

"Then why did you take his challenge?" Danny inquired.

"De seal he used was keepin' Katherine's soul trapped," the Reaper elaborated.

"Couldn't you just, like, break it?" Danny questioned, "You're the freaking Grim Reaper, after all."

"Everyone 'as deir limits," the Reaper replied, "Yer ancestor was clever enough ta know mine. Worse, I feared dat if I tampered wit de seal, it may 'ave destroyed Katherine's soul."

"That….that can happen?" Danny questioned as he nervously placed a hand on his chest.

"De soul is a fragile ting," the Reaper explained, "Dat' why I and de oters are around. Ta make sure dat de soul gets from one life ta de next in one piece."

"So, what happened next?" Danny inquired.

In response, the Reaper waved his hand again and the dancing flames changed, becoming an image of Alistair and the Reaper sitting across a chessboard from one another, the various pieces set up in various places across the gameboard.

"Chess?" Danny questioned.

"As I said, Alistair was a well educated man," the Reaper elaborated, "Part a dat resulted in a high degree a skill at dis game."

"So what, did he beat you?" Danny inquired.

There was a pause as the Reaper turned its gaze on Danny in a way that the young man could tell was reproachful.

"I am old as Time itself," the Reaper stated, "I 'ave mastered tings ya couldn't possibly comprehend, let alone yer kind's little game."

"So….you won?" Danny pressed.

The silence that followed that struck Danny as awkward and somewhat embarrassed.

"No," the Reaper admitted after a moment.

"I don't get it," Danny stated in confusion, "Then who won?"

"Neither a us did," the Reaper explained, "It was a draw."

"A draw?" Danny asked incredulously, "He won Katherine's soul from you in a tie game?"

"It is more complicated den dat," the Reaper answered as he waved his hand at the flames again, causing the image to shift once more. Once the flames coalesced, it showed an image similar to the one before it, though now only four pieces remained on the board.

"De game was a long an' challengin' one," the Reaper explained, "But, as wit all tings, it was reachin' its inevitable conclusion wit me as de victor."

As the Reaper spoke, the image in the flames showed Alistair moving one of his pieces, followed by the Reaper moving his to take it. However, this, in turn, allowed Alistair to take that piece, leaving only the two kings on the board.

"It was only den dat I realized I 'ad walked inta a trap," the Reaper stated.

"What?" Danny questioned in confusion, "Sorry, I don't play chess. What's the problem with this?"

"It is a draw," the Reaper explained, "All we 'ave left is our kings. A king can only move one space at a time an' can't put itself in danger a bein' captured by other pieces."

"So, basically, neither of you can capture the other's king," Danny surmised, "Neither of you can win."

"Precisely," the Reaper replied with a nod.

"Why would he do that?" Danny questioned, "I thought he was trying to win?"

"'E is winnin'," the Reaper replied, "He's just doin' it outside de scope a de game."

"How so?" Danny asked.

"De game was obviously a tie, but ta treat it as such would require both players ta agree," the Reaper explained, "Alistair refused ta. So, if one a us left, it'd be a forfeit ta de game."

"Alistair was dead," Danny stated with realization, "He had nowhere he needed to go. But you did."

"I 'ad already lingered fer too long wit dis one man," the Reaper continued, "I 'ad duties elsewhere. So, ultimately, I gave up."

The flames changed to show the Reaper standing up and knocking his king over before walking away. The flames than shifted again, showing Katherine waking in her bed. She looked around in confusion before she saw Alistair dead in his chair next to her and she began to weep. The image then changed again to show Alistair standing on the other side of her bed, looking at the scene forlornly. A moment later, the Reaper appears behind him and lays a firm hand on Alistair's shoulder before forcibly guiding him away. As the two figures departed, the flames died away and Danny turned his attention towards the Reaper.

"So, he saved her," Danny surmised, "She lived when she should have died."

"Dey both did," the Reaper corrected.

"Both?" Danny questioned in confusion.

"She was wit child," the Reaper explained, "A child who should a never been born."

"Leading to my family line," Danny concluded.

"Now, ye understand," the Reaper surmised.

"I do and I don't," Danny answered, "I get what you're telling me, but I still don't understand why I'm here talking to you."

"De peculiar 'istory a yer family 'as granted ye a unique soul," the Reaper explained, "It is both alive an' dead, real an' unreal. Dis means dat, in some aspects, yer body is an empty vessel dat a soul can be placed in."

"Okay," Danny replied, quirking an eyebrow up at the Reaper, "So?"

"So, I intend ta put a soul in there," the Reaper answered.

"You want to give me another soul?" Danny questioned in confusion, "What will that accomplish?"

"De soul is a powerful source a energy," the Reaper elaborated, "It contains de very spark of life. An' dose dat 'ave felt de touch a death 'ave a unique energy all deir own. Combine, dey will create a power dat dis world 'as never conceived of, let alone witnessed. Ye will walk de line between life an' death, but ta call ye undead would be a wrong. Ya'll be unique. A Sin Eater. A Gravewalker. A Phantom."

Danny's eyes went wide at the Reaper's explanation, his mind racing as it went over everything that he had learned since coming here.

"But why?" Danny questioned, "Why me, why now?"

"Why?" the Reaper repeated as it leaned down closer to Danny, the smell of stale air and grave dirt, "'Cause de right man in de wrong place can make all de difference in de world."

"I don't understand," Danny replied.

"Den know dis," the Reaper stated as he straightened back up, "A darkness is comin' ta Blithe Hollow. One dat'll put countless lives in jeopardy. One dat ya are in a position ta 'elp prevent. Ya proved yerself ta me, dat is why I chose ya fer this."

"Proved myself?" Danny questioned in confusion, "How did I do that?"

"Ya saved de boy, didn't ya?" the Reaper asked in return.

"That was a test?" Danny whispered, his eyes going wide.

"Among oter tings," the Reaper confirmed.

"What if…." Danny began to say before he paused to audibly gulp, "What if I say no?"

"Den I send ya back," the Reaper explained simply.

"That's it?" Danny questioned, blinking in surprise.

"I'd be disappointed, but ya not unique, Daniel Fenton," the Reaper explained, "Perhaps I can convince ya father ta take on dis burden. Or perhaps ya sister?"

Danny's face paled at the thought.

"Is this….what you want me to do, is it dangerous?" Danny questioned.

"Extremely," the Reaper admitted, "An' if ya or anyone were ta die in completin' this task, dere wouldn't be a return trip."

Danny gaze fell away from the Reaper and his eyes fell on his hands, still mangled from being hit by the bus.

"Wat I ask a ya ain't easy, an' it ain't fair," the Reaper stated in an almost apologetic voice, "But events are teeterin' on de edge of a blade an' untold numbers a lives hang in de balance."

Closing his hands into fists, Danny turned his attention back towards the Reaper.

"Okay," Danny stated with a nod, "I'll do it."

"Very well," the Reaper said with a nod as he straightened back up.

"So, what do I need to do?" Danny questioned.

"Take dis," the Reaper stated as he handed Danny the glass that contained the soul of Alistair Fenton, "An' I will return ya ta de land a de livin'."

Danny blinked in surprise.

"That's it?" Danny asked in confusion.

"Yes," the Reaper confirmed before he cocked his head slightly to the side, "Were ya expectin' sometin' else?"

"I figured it would be a little more dramatic than this, I guess," Danny answered with a shrug.

"Life is rarely as dramatic as ye'd tink," the Reaper stated, "So, I tink its come time fer me ta return ye."

"Okay," Danny said with a nod before a thought occurred to him, "Hey, wait, quick question. Why does the Grim Reaper speak with a Jamaican-"

"Clear," the Reaper said as he suddenly thrust one hand out and poked Danny in the chest with two fingers. As the bony digits connected with Danny's sternum, a sharp arc of pain shot through his whole body, causing his vision to go white.

As the pain stopped, Danny took a gasping breath and found himself somewhere new. Instead of standing, Danny now found himself laying on a hard cushion, with straps holding his arms and legs down while something around his neck held his head still. As the shocking pain ended, a new pain settled into Danny's whole body, a throbbing agony that made it feel like his body had turned into a single, awful bruise. As Danny's vision cleared, he saw that he was staring up at the ceiling of a cramped compartment, the walls of which were covered by small compartments and cubbies. As a sudden jostling knocked what was clearly medical supplies loose from one of the cabinets, Danny realized he was in the back of a speeding ambulance.

"I've got a pulse!" a voice yelled and Danny glanced to the side to see a paramedic putting the paddles of a defibrillator to the side.

"He's conscious," a paramedic on Danny's other side said, "God knows for how long though."

"Danny!?" he heard Tucker say before his friend appeared in his field of vision, his expression stricken, "Just hold on, man! We're almost there!"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but you need to sit down while we work," the second paramedic ordered and Tucker nodded before disappearing from sight again.

"What's our ETA!?" the first paramedic shouted.

"Three minutes!" the driver answered from the front of the ambulance.

"Sir," the second paramedic said, bringing Danny's attention to him, "Sir, you've been in an accident. We're bringing you to the hospital."

Danny attempted to nod his head but a sharp pain in his neck dissuaded him from the idea. The pain caused Danny's eyelids to flutter and he found himself struggling to keep them open. As darkness began to swallow him again, Danny became aware that something was clutched in his right hand. Glancing down at it, Danny saw that it was a glass jar, in which was a flickering blue flame.

Then darkness took him, and Danny Fenton knew only oblivion.

A/N: Here's another chapter that's been a long time coming. This one went through a couple rewrites along the way but ultimately I like how it turned out. Let me know what you think! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!


	4. The Sixth Sense

**Chapter 4: The Sixth Sense**

When Danny awoke next, he was laying in a hospital bed. Glancing around, he took in the sight of the sterile white walls illuminated by the setting sun streaming in through the windows that lined one side of the room. The air smelt of cleaning products and the steady beep of a heart monitor sounded in his ear. As he looked around the room, he saw that there were four other people there with him. His sister, Jazz, sat curled up in a chair against one of the walls while Tucker sat in the chair next to her, his arms propped up on his knees and his face buried in his hands. Danny's mother sat in a chair that had been pulled up next to his bed, her head head bowed as she clutched one of his hands, his father standing behind her with his hands resting on her shoulders.

Grunting, Danny adjusted his position in the bed, which immediately brought everyone's attention to him.

"Danny?" his mother questioned as she lifted her head and looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"Hey, Mom," Danny croaked in reply and it was only then that he realized how terribly dry his throat was.

"Oh, Danny!" Maddie exclaimed as she sat up from her chair and pulled Danny into an embrace, something his body violently protested, "Oh, my sweet, little boy!"

"Easy, Maddie, easy!" Jack said as he pulled his wife off of Danny, "The boy is broke enough as it is. He doesn't need you adding to his bruises."

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Maddie apologized quickly as she sat back in her chair and wiped tears from her eyes, "I'm-I'm just so happy you're okay."

"So am I," Danny replied with a grin before he let out a hoarse cough and began glancing around the room, "Do you have any-"

"Here," Jazz spoke up as she walked up to Danny's bed and held a cup of water with a straw in it in front of his face.

"Thanks," Danny said after taking a long, greedy sip.

"Any time, little brother," Jazz replied as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

"How are you feeling, son?" Jack questioned.

"Like I just got hit by a bus," Danny replied, earning a few chuckles from the others.

"Well, I'm happy to see they were able to save your sense of humor," Tucker observed as he walked over to Danny's side and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Look, man, if you didn't want to go to school today, all you had to do was say so."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle at that. After a moment, Danny's expression turned thoughtful.

"The….The kid," Danny stated, "What happened to the kid?"

"Oh, Danny," Maddie replied with a cheerful smile, "What a brave, selfless thing you did. The boy is fine. You saved his life."

"Well, that makes this a little more bearable at least," Danny said with a grin before he grunted in pain.

"I think we should be letting you get some rest, Danny," Jack observed.

"Though, the boy, his name is Norman, he and his family are in the waiting room," Jazz informed him, "They wanted to see you when you woke up."

"Though, I'm sure you'll want your rest," Maddie stated as she gave Danny's hand a gentle squeeze.

"No," Danny replied with a shake of his head, "No, I want to see them."

Maddie looked at Danny in puzzlement for a moment, before she smiled gently at him.

"Alright, sweetie," Maddie stated as she patted Danny's hand, "We'll let them know they can come in and say hello and we'll head out so that you can get some rest."

"Sounds good, Mom," Danny agreed with a nod.

"Feel better, champ," Jack said as he pat Danny on the shoulder while his mother kissed his fingers before standing up.

"See you tomorrow, Danny," Jazz said, smiling at him as she walked around the bed and headed out of the room with their parents.

"Hope you feel better, Danny," Tucker said as he headed towards the exited as well.

"Tucker, wait a second," Danny croaked quickly, causing his friend to pause in the doorway.

"What's up, man?" Tucker questioned.

"Did I….Did I have anything with me when they brought me in?" Danny questioned hesitantly, "Like….anything in my hand?"

"Uh, yeah, they did, now that you mention it," Tucker replied with a thoughtful expression before he pointed at something, "They put it on the table there next to you."

Glancing in the direction Tucker indicated, Danny found a side table next to his bed. Upon it sat the glass jar he remembered carrying in the ambulance.

Only it was empty.

A chill ran down Danny's spine as he turned his attention back towards Tucker.

"Ah, thanks," Danny replied, doing his best to hide his unease.

"What is that anyway?" Tucker inquired.

"Oh, nothing," Danny replied immediately, "I must have picked it up in the street or something. I just remember having it in the ambulance."

"Alright," Tucker accepted with a nod, "Anyway, I'm happy you're going to come out of this okay."

With that, Tucker began making his way out of the room again. As he did, Danny suddenly caught sight of a figure who had apparently been standing behind Tucker. Danny quickly recognized the person as Alistair Fenton, dressed in the same flowy white shirt and black slacks he had died in. Alistair's entire form was tinged blue in color, the same color his soul had been in the jar. Danny also noticed that Alastair was somewhat translucent, allowing the young man to make out the wall behind his ancestor.

Alistair's sudden appearance caused Danny to start violently, only just managing to keep from crying out in surprise. Tucker noticed the reaction and paused in the doorway to look back at Danny with a mixture of confusion and concern. Following Danny's gaze, he glanced in Alistair's direction, but didn't seem to register the man's presence as he turned his attention back towards Danny.

"Are you alright, man?" Tucker questioned with concern, "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

There was a pause as Danny glanced between Alistair and Tucker before an uneasy smile spread across his features.

"Yeah, man," Danny reassured him, "Just not, you know, feeling a hundred percent yet."

"I hear you," Tucker replied with a nod, "Get some rest, bud."

With that, Tucker exited the room and Danny was left alone with a dead man. His eyes focused on Danny, Alistair walked around the bed and stood at the young man's side, opposite the door.

"I see that your experience has granted you the Sight," Alistair observed, his voice deep and regal.

"The Sight?" Danny whispered in confusion.

"The ability to perceive spirits," Alistair explained, "Especially those of the departed."

"So, I can see dead people now?" Danny questioned.

"If you want to use such crude terms for it, yes, Daniel, you can see dead people," Alistair answered.

"You know my name?" Danny questioned, blinking in surprise.

"I was not unaware during my time in that container," Alistair explained, "It was only glass, after all."

As Alistair finished speaking, his eyes turned towards the doorway.

"Someone approaches," he stated.

As Alistair finished Danny heard a group of people walking down the hallway towards his room. A moment later, a group of four people walked in. Danny's eyes were immediately drawn to the boy he had saved from being hit by the bus. With him were a pair of adults that Danny assumed was the boy's parents. One was a middle aged woman with long, dirty blond hair and a kind, if tired, looking face. Next to her stood a stocky man with jet black hair and a goatee. Finally, there was a teenage girl that Danny vaguely recognized. She was dressed in a pink tracksuit that left her midriff exposed and her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"It was Danny, right?" the woman questioned with a gentle smile.

"Yeah," Danny replied with a nod as he glanced at the boy, whose gaze, he noticed, was not directed at him, but towards where Alistair was standing.

"Wait….Danny Fenton?" the girl questioned, a look of recognition on her face, "Don't we have English together?"

"Yeah, I think you're right," Danny agreed with a nod, "With Mr. Lancer?"

"Yeah," the girl confirmed with a small smile.

"You know him, Courtney?" the woman questioned.

"Only a little," the girl, Courtney, admitted with a shrug, "I've just seen him around a bit. You just moved here, right?"

Danny nodded in reply before a thought occurred to him.

"You're Dash's girlfriend, right?" Danny questioned somewhat wearily.

"Uh, yeah," Courtney replied as something seemed to occur to her as well, prompting her to cross her arms and glance away from Danny.

"Yeah," Danny said with a nod, "We don't really hang out in the same circles."

The parents shared a glance before the mother smiled at Danny.

"Well, I can't tell you how thankful we are for what you did," the mother stated before she chuckled and shook her head, "I'm sorry. We haven't even introduced ourselves."

"I'm Sandra Babcock," the woman continued as she touched her chest before reaching over and laying her hand on the man's shoulder, "And this is my husband, Perry."

"Good to meet you, son," Perry said as he stepped forward and offered his hand to Danny. In turn, Danny looked at Perry's offered hand before glancing at his own, which was trapped in a plaster cast.

"Oh, right," Perry replied awkwardly as he switched hands so he could shake Danny's good hand, "Sorry about that."

"Since you've already met Courtney, I guess I should formally introduce you to our son," Sandra said as she placed her hands on the boy's shoulders and gently nudged him forward, "Danny, this is Norman."

"Uh, hi," Norman greeted awkwardly.

"Hey," Danny replied with a grin, "How are you feeling?"

"I got a scrape on my arm," Norman answered before looking Danny over and glancing away in shame, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Danny said with a sense of false bravado, "You should see the other guy."

"You did leave a pretty big dent on that bus," Norman commented with a small grin.

"Norman!" Sandra tried to admonish her son, but looked at Danny in confusion as he let out a snort of amusement.

"I just hope they don't charge me for the repairs," Danny joked in reply before he let out a hiss of pain.

"Are you okay?" Sandra questioned with concern.

"Yeah," Danny replied, "Just feeling a little sore."

"Well, we should probably let you get some rest then," Sandra commented as she gave Danny a warm smile, "Thank you again for what you did. I don't think we'll ever be able fully thank you."

"Anyone would have done it," Danny said, blushing with embarrassment.

"But they didn't, you did," Sandra pointed out, "I'm pretty sure that makes you a hero."

Danny couldn't think of a response to that and instead chose to glance away.

"Anyway, I think we should let you rest," Sandra stated before she turned her attention towards her family, "We should be getting home."

"Can I talk to Norman for a second?" Danny questioned as he turned his attention back towards the Babcocks, "Just him and me?"

Sandra glanced at Danny in confusion for a moment before she looked down at her son and smiled.

"I think that will be alright," Sandra said as she patted her son on the shoulder, "Only for a few minutes, okay, Norman?"

"Okay, Mom," Norman agreed as he looked up at his mother and nodded.

Nodding back at him, Sandra turned her attention back to the rest of her family, prompting them to exit the room.

"Feel better, Danny," Courtney said, giving him a small wave as she departed.

Norman looked in the direction his family had gone in for a moment before he turned his attention back towards Danny.

"So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?" Norman questioned.

In response, Danny glanced to the other side of his bed, where Alistair still lingered. Noticing Danny's attention, Alistair quirked an eyebrow at the young man, prompting Danny to turn his attention back towards Norman.

"You can see him, can't you?" Danny questioned.

Norman's eyes went so wide at the question that Danny was briefly worried that they'd fall out of his head.

"I….b-but….no….y-yeah…." Norman struggled for a moment before he shook his head in an effort to clear it, "What?"

Danny could only smirk at the question.

"I said, you can see him, can't you?" Danny repeated as he nodded towards Alistair, who folded his arms and focused his gaze on Norman.

"Y-Yeah," Norman whispered in astonishment, "C-Can you?"

Danny turned his attention back to Alistair and looked the ghost over for a moment before looking back at Norman.

"Yeah, seems like it," Danny answered with a smirk, "This is Alistair by the way. He's an ancestor of mine."

"O-Oh my God," Norman said, holding one hand up to his mouth as tears began welling up in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked with concern.

"I've just….I didn't think I'd ever meet someone else like me," Norman explained as he quickly wiped at his eyes, "At least, someone who wasn't crazy."

"Really?" Danny asked in surprise.

"Come now, Daniel," Alistair scoffed, "I doubt you even believed this gift existed before today. For every ten thousand charlatans who prey upon the sorrow of others by claiming they can communicate with the dead, there is one person who genuinely can. It would seem this boy is one of those fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, few."

"You say that like Danny isn't one either," Norman observed.

"That's because I'm not," Danny replied.

"But you can see and talk to ghosts, just like I can," Norman stated in confusion.

"Yeah," Danny confirmed with a nod, "But that's more of a recent development. And, I think, more of a side effect of something else."

"Something else?" Norman inquired.

"Danny has been chosen by Death itself to serve as his agent in an task that may affect the world as you know it," Alistair answered.

"Oh," Norman replied, blinking his eyes owlishly, "That's….cool."

"Yeah, sorry," Danny stated as he gave Alistair a sidelong glance, "It's pretty weird for me too."

"So, this whole….chosen by Death thing," Norman began saying, struggling to find the words as he spoke, "Is that what happened today? Is that what was up with those weird guys who…."

"They took control of you somehow, didn't they?" Danny observed, "That's why you were talking to me. That's why you stepped in front of that bus."

"I don't know what they did to me," Norman replied, looking very uncomfortable as he spoke, his gaze falling to his shoes, "It just felt like, all of sudden, I wasn't in control of my body anymore. I could see everything happening, but I couldn't do anything to stop myself."

Norman raised his gaze back to Danny.

"Did they do all that just so they could talk to you?" Norman questioned.

"A little more than that," Danny answered, his demeanor becoming more subdued, "But yeah, pretty much."

"They did all that…." Norman whispered before his gaze locked with Danny's, "Are you sure these are the good guys?"

A quiet fell over the room as Danny turned his gaze towards Alistair, who merely looked back at him impassively.

"I don't know, Norman," Danny replied, "I wish I did, but I don't."

"Norman," Sandra's voice gently called from outside the room. Looking down the hall, Norman could see his mother motioning for him to come. Norman nodded in reply before turning back towards Danny.

"My mom is calling me," Norman stated as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, "I….I don't really know much about what either of us can do but, well, you saved my life, one way or the other. If there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know, okay?"

There was a pause as Danny took in the earnest look on the boy's face as a grin spread across his own.

"Sure thing, kid," Danny agreed with a nod, "I'll keep it in mind."

Nodding in reply, Norman gave both Danny and Alistair a wave before he left the room.

"Medium or not, I would not put too much faith in this Norman Babcock," Alistair commented.

"I don't remember asking your advice," Danny commented as he adjusted how he was laying in his bed.

"You'd do wise to heed my words, Daniel," Alistair stated as he crossed his arms over his chest, "We need to work together if we are to stand a chance against whatever darkness threatens to befall this place."

"Now, here's the thing I don't get," Danny stated, "The way the Reaper laid this all out to me, I didn't think you'd be so active. What's stopping you from just, I don't know, just leaving?"

"From what I was able to deduce through experimentation while you were unconscious?" Alistair asked rhetorically as he held a spectral hand up towards his face and flexed it experimentally, "Nothing. I can come and go as I please."

"Then why stay?" Danny inquired.

"Where would I go?" Alistair questioned with a condescending grin, "Find some dilapidated house to haunt? I was sent back to this world for a reason. I was sent here to help you. And to add to that, your task is to save the lives of innocent people. What kind of man would I be, or used to be, if I didn't do what I could to aid you?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Danny commented with a chuckle which descended into pained coughs.

"It would seem you need to rest, Daniel," Alistair observed, "You'll need your strength for what's to come."

"But what is coming?" Danny questioned, looking at the ghost in confusion, "What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Alistair admitted, "I fear that we may not have any idea about what's going to happen until the wheels are already in motion."

"Why didn't the Grim Reaper tell us what we need to do?" Danny inquired as he laid his head back against his pillow.

"His hands might have been tied," Alistair explained, "Beings like him are powerful but they are also inflexible. They can't step outside the parameters of what they do. Sending us back might have been the extent of what he could do."

Turning away from the bed, Alistair looked out the window at the town beyond.

"As for what is coming," Alistair commented as he looked out the window, "I fear we may discover it sooner than we'd wish."

 _Meanwhile_ ,

Now that night had fallen over the town of Blithe Hollow, deep, long shadows covered its secret corners. One alleyway was particularly dark, the inky blackness cast by the flanking buildings plunging it into impenetrable darkness. Silence had fallen over the alley as well, but it was quickly broken by the sound of footsteps on concrete.

A moment later, a form appeared at the entrance of the alley. The person was short and stout in stature, and its hair appeared silver in the moon's pale light. The figure stood for a moment at the alley's entrance, looking into the black void before them, clenching and unclenching their hand nervously.

"I-I'm here," the figure, young and male by the sound of their voice, said quietly, "I-I came because I heard you calling….in my dreams…"

Complete silence followed the comment, the darkness greedily swallowing the words and providing no answer.

"I-I don't even know why I'm doing this," the young man whispered, "I-I just couldn't resist….the whispers…."

" _Few can_ ," a voice suddenly said, echoing from down the alley, " _Especially not one with a thirst for knowledge like yours._ "

The voice caught the young man off guard, causing him to jump half a step away from the entrance to the alley. As the young man processe the words, he noticed there was something odd about the disembodied voice. It almost sounded like two voices, one male and one female, talking in unison, their harmony creating a strange echoing effect.

"Are….Are you….?" the young man mumbled, struggling to speak.

"T _he voice from your dream?_ " the voice finished before chuckling, " _Yes, I called you here._ "

"Why?" the young man questioned.

" _It's like you said,_ " the voice explained, " _You seek knowledge. I've watched you looking for it. Knowledge some people would say man was not meant to know._ "

"What do you want?" the young man questioned.

" _To give you what you seek,_ " the voice stated.

As the voice spoke, an object slid out of the shadows and stopped at the young man's feet. Looking down, the young man saw that it was a thick book. The book was bound in sturdy brown leather and on the front cover the outline of a six-fingered hand was drawn, at the center of which was written the number two.

"What's this?" the young man questioned as he reached down for it. As he did, a foot suddenly slammed down on top of the book, causing the young man to leap back in fright.

" _Now, now, now,_ " the voice admonished as the foot retreated back into the shadows, " _Not so fast. I'm doing something for you, now, you need to do something for me._ "

The young man looked into the black void of the alleyway for a few moments, a look of shock on his face. Slowly, his gaze turned back towards the book on the ground and his expression turned to one of desire, almost hunger.

"I'll do it," the young man said, "Whatever it is you want me to do, I'll do it."

" _That's the spirit, Gideon,_ " the voice commented with another chuckle, " _I think you and I are going to work very well together._ "

A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter, because I had some fun with it. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!


	5. Two Souls

**Chapter 5: Two Souls**

A grey sky hung over Blithe Hollow once more as Danny Fenton made his way towards the high school. He walked with a noticeable limp, something that made him feel even more self conscious than all the other students whispering and staring at him as he walked by did.

"You sure you're feeling up for this, man?" Tucker questioned as he walked alongside Danny, taking in the sight of the still healing scrapes that dotted Danny's face, including a cut that went through his friend's right eyebrow that Tucker was fairly certain would leave a scar.

"Yeah," Danny replied as he scratched at the cast that covered his left arm from wrist to elbow, "I've already been out of school for over a week. If I spend anymore time in a hospital room or at my house, I'm going to go stir crazy."

"Still, I'm pretty sure your doctors wanted you to get more rest than this," Tucker replied as they made their way up to the front door of the school.

"What can I say," Danny replied with a smirk and shrug as they walked through the door and down the hall on the other side, "I'm a quick healer."

Turning to look away from Tucker, Danny was startled for a moment as he found Alistair standing a short distance down the hall, staring at the young man as the other students walked past and even through him.

"Behind you," Alistair stated as he looked at something over Danny's shoulder.

Pausing in his step, Danny glanced over his shoulder in time to see a group of three people walking towards him. The first person Danny saw was Courtney. Walking next to her was a young man the same age as them. He was taller and more athletically built than Danny, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a red and white letterman jacket over a black t-shirt and blue jeans. The other young man, also blonde haired and blue eyed but taller and more muscular than the first, was dressed similarly, though he wore his letterman jacket over a white t-shirt and jean shorts.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged," the young man commented with a cocky grin, "And I mean that. Looks like you've seen better days, Fenton."

At that, Courtney scowled and punched the young man in the arm, causing him to wince more out surprise than pain.

"Oh, hey, what was that for, babe?" the young man questioned as he looked at Courtney in confusion.

"So you'll remember to be nice, Dash," Courtney all but growled, "He got hurt because he saved my little brother's life."

"Right," the young man, Dash, replied with a somewhat sheepish look, "Sorry."

"Look, man, what do you want?" Tucker spoke up, his annoyance clear, "I would have thought you could take a day off from stuffing Danny in a locker, seeing as he just got out of the hospital and everything."

"I don't remember talking to you, Foley," Dash snapped as he turned to look at Tucker, "And last I checked, what goes on between me and Fenton is-"

Dash was interrupted as Courtney punched him in the arm again.

"Let him say what he wants to say, Tucker," Danny spoke up.

Tucker shot Danny a glance before sighing and looking away as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Look, Fenton, I know you and I haven't really gotten along since you moved here," Dash stated awkwardly, unable to look Danny in the eye as he spoke, "I'm kind of a jerk and you're a dweeb and your parents are-"

Dash cut himself off as Courtney hit him on the arm again.

"Look, I'm just trying to….apologize, I guess," Dash finished, sounding more annoyed than sincere.

Danny gaze Dash a dubious look before his gaze shifted to Courtney. The young woman looked back at him with an awkward and apologetic sincerity. Danny sighed.

"Yeah, man, no problem," Danny stated, giving Dash a forced grin, "Don't worry about it."

Dash smiled at that and turned his attention towards Courtney again.

"See, babe, I told you Fenton would get it," Dash stated as he and Courtney began walking away, "It's a guy thing, so it doesn't surprise me you don't understand."

"Mhm," Courtney replied as they walked away, Danny swearing for a moment he could hear her rolling her eyes.

"Hey," the other young man spoke up, bringing Danny's attention back to him.

"Uh, hey," Danny greeted awkwardly, racking his brain for a moment before speaking again, "Mitch, right?"

"Yeah," the young man, Mitch, confirmed with a nod, "Look, Dash is my pal and all but I think you and I can agree that he's an asshat."

"That's….That's one way of putting it," Tucker agreed with a snort, causing Mitch to grin.

"I know he gives guys like you a hard time, part of his big man on campus act," Mitch stated, "I've always kind of looked the other way but…."

Mitch paused as he looked over Danny's injuries.

"Courtney and I have been friends since we were kids," Mitch explained, "And my kid brother is best friends with Norman."

"I didn't realize," Danny replied.

"The point I'm trying to make is that I think what you did took a lot of guts," Mitch stated, "I appreciate it and I can guarantee that, from now on, Dash won't be giving either of you a hard time as long as I'm around."

"Wow, that's…." Danny paused as he gave the taller student a smile, "Thanks."

"Like I said, this is my thanks to you," Mitch replied with a smirk as he nodded towards the two of them and began making his way down the hall, "See you around."

"See you," Tucker replied, still blinking in surprise.

Together, the two watched Mitch leave before Tucker turned his attention back to Danny with a baffled look on his face.

"Geez, man," Tucker commented with a chuckle, "If I had known that all it would take to get the jocks off my back is jump in front of a bus, I would have done it years ago."

"Trust me," Danny replied with a laugh as the two began walking down the hall again, "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

 _Later_ ,

Danny made his way down the street alone, having split paths with Tucker a few blocks back. The afternoon sun had begun peeking out from behind the cloud cover, its golden rays bouncing off the red and yellow leaves of the nearby trees. Taking in the sight as he walked, Danny glanced around at his surroundings before he stopped as his gaze fell on something altogether different.

Across the street, walking in the opposite direction that Danny had been going in, was a man. Or, to be more accurate, there was the spectre of a man. He looked to be middle aged and slightly overweight, with the paunch of his stomach overhanging the belt of his pants. He was dressed in a tan suit that looked like it had been in style back during Prohibition, and had the same translucent quality to him as Alistair did. A chill ran down Danny's spine as the man turned to look around, allowing the young man to see the bullet hole that occupied a spot at the center of his forehead, a rivulet of dried blood running down to the bridge of the man's nose.

"Danny?" a voice asked, snapping the young man back to reality with a start. Glancing around, Danny found Norman and another boy standing next to him, looking at the young man with concerned expressions. The other boy was shorter than Norman and heavy set, with a head of curly brown hair. He wore a blue jacket over a yellow t-shirt and green shorts and looked up at Danny with wide blue eyes.

"Is he okay?" the boy muttered to Norman.

"He's fine, Neil," Norman replied, glancing over at the ghost Danny had been looking at as he spoke, "There's just a creepy ghost walking nearby."

"Shouldn't he be used to that sort of thing, like you are?" the boy, Neil, questioned.

"He only just started seeing ghosts," Norman replied a little hotly, "He's not use to it yet."

"I'm also standing right here," Danny pointed out.

"Sorry," Norman apologized as he turned back to Danny while gesturing at Neil, "Danny, this is Neil, my best friend. Neil, this is Danny."

"Nice to meet you," Danny said as he reached down and shook Neil's hand, "I know your brother, Mitch."

"So, is it like Norman said?" Neil questioned, an eager grin on his face, "Do you really work for the Grim Reaper?"

"Uh, yeah," Danny confirmed with a chuckle, "I guess I sort of do."

"That's so cool!" Neil exclaimed, drawing the attention of some of the people who were walking by, "And is it true that you've got the ghost of your, like, great-great-great-great grandfather or something following you around?"

"Yeah, though he's not here right now," Danny commented.

"Why not?" Neil questioned in confusion, "Where does he go?"

"Who knows?" Danny replied with a smirk, "Maybe he's wandering around, marveling at the wonders of the twenty-first century. Maybe he's at the library catching up on all the history he's missed. Or maybe he's been a pervy old man and spying on girls."

Neil snickered at this, earning a grin from Danny. Norman began to smile as well but his eyes suddenly went wide as he looked at something behind Danny. Danny looked at Norman in confusion for a moment before he let out a resigned sigh.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Danny questioned.

"Indeed, I am, Daniel," Alistair's voice came from just behind Danny, "And I would request that you not slander my good name in the future."

As he finished speaking, Alistair stepped up next to Danny and looked down at Norman and Neil.

"We meet again, Norman Babcock," Alistair stated as he looked down at the boy before his gaze shifted towards Neil, "And who is this?"

"Uh, my friend, Neil, sir," Norman replied awkwardly before noticing that Neil was looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, "Danny's ancestor Alistair just showed up. He was asking your name."

"Oh," Neil stated before his eyes went wide, "Did he hears us call him a pervy old man?"

Norman glanced over at Alistair, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Uh, yeah," Norman answered as he turned his gaze back towards Neil.

"Awkward," Neil whispered.

"So, where have you been?" Danny questioned.

"I have been experimenting with my new found abilities," Alistair answered.

"What does that consist of?" Danny inquired, "Standard ghost stuff like flying and walking through walls?"

"It would appear so," Alistair confirmed, "But I believe collectively we are capable of more."

"Like what?" Danny asked, ignorant of the odd looks he was getting from people walking by.

"I am unsure," Alistair admitted, "It would require some form of experimentation."

"Hey guys," Norman spoke up as he glanced around at the people watching them, "I think I know a place where you can do that. At least, one without so many people watching."

"Watch what?" Neil questioned as Danny glanced around at the people gawking at them.

"Alistair wants to try and practice using whatever ghost powers they have," Norman explained, "They need a place to do that."

"Oh, so you want to bring them to your uncle's, right?" Neil asked.

"It seems the best place," Norman replied with a shrug.

"Your uncle?" Danny questioned.

"Mike Penderghast," Norman explained, looking slightly ashamed as he spoke, "You….You've probably heard of him."

Instantly, the image of the overweight, unwashed, bearded man that Danny had encountered the day he had been struck by a bus.

"Yeah," Danny confirmed with a nod, "I met him once. I didn't realize you were related."

"I think my parents prefer it that way," Norman answered, before gesturing for the others to follow as he turned and began walking down the street. Neil quickly fell into line alongside Norman, leaving Danny and Alistair behind. Turning to the teenager, Alistair quirked an eyebrow, to which Danny shrugged before he limped along behind the two boys, prompting the ghost to trail behind them.

Together the four of them made their way to the edge of town. As the suburban sprawl became less dense, the meticulously manicured lawns gave way to patches of trees, their autumnal leaves blanketing the ground. Through one such patch of trees, Danny could make out a clearing surrounded by a knee high wall constructed from wedged together rocks. Once they had reached the wall, Danny realized what they had been approaching.

"These children have brought us to a graveyard," Alistair observed as he stopped next to Danny.

"Is there something you want to tell me about your uncle, Norman?" Danny questioned as he followed the two kids as they hopped over the rock wall.

"Uh, yeah," Norman replied, looking uneasy as he spoke, "He's kind of the groundskeeper around here."

"A crypt keeper," Alistair commented with an amused tone as he phased through the wall, "A gravedigger. An appropriate occupation for a medium, I suppose."

"He lives up here," Norman explained as he pointed to the other side of the graveyard, beyond which the ground rose up to a forested hill.

Crossing the graveyard, the group began climbing up the hill, the two boys leading Danny down a disused path through the patch of woods, the trees seeming to loom over them, casting long shadows beneath the setting sun.

After a minute or so of walking, the group emerged into a clearing. The first thing that caught Danny's attention was the large tree that occupied the center of the clearing. Danny wasn't sure what type of tree it was, though it was tall and looming, with long, thick branches that grew from the tree like the horns of some great beast. The bark of the tree was so dark that it appeared black and its branches were completely bare of leaves, leading Danny to believe that not only was the tree dead, but that it had been dead for some time now.

" _Are you, are you, coming to the tree_?" Neil sung quietly to himself, " _Where they strung up a man, they say he murdered three_."

"What are you singing, Neil?" Danny questioned as a chill ran down his spine.

"Oh, it's just an old song everyone from Blithe Hollow knows," Neil explained before pointing at the tree as they walked by, "That's the Hanging Tree. The town used to use it for executions and stuff. They say that's where they hung the witch."

"You've heard of the Blithe Hollow Witch, right?" Norman questioned as he glanced over his shoulder at Danny.

"I'm pretty sure that the whole world has heard of the Blithe Hollow Witch Trials," Danny answered, "I'm surprised this place isn't more of a tourist trap."

"This place is kind of out of the way and tourists prefer the stuff downtown more," Norman explained.

"My brother Mitch says that the city prefers it that way too," Neil added, "He says it makes it easier to take the tourists' money."

"Still, my uncle says he sees people lurking around the tree sometimes," Norman stated as they reached the other side of the clearing, where a dark brown, rundown shack sat. Creepers clung to the rotting, weather-worn shingles, while dried, brown leaves sat upon the grime-encrusted porch. Danny noticed amber colored beer bottles, some broken, and tin beer cans, most of which had been crushed underfoot.

"Uncle Mike?" Norman called, as the group came to a stop in front of the porch, "Uncle Mike, it's Norman, are you awake?"

"Awake?" Alistair questioned, glancing up at the darkening sky, "It's midafternoon."

"Something tells me Mr. Penderghast isn't a morning person," Danny replied as he gently nudged one of the empty cans with his foot.

Norman looked like he was going to try calling out again when the sound of someone moving around in the shack reached their ears. A moment later, Mike Penderghast came stumbling out of the shack, the door slamming open against the wall as he looked around with wide, wild eyes. His eyes focused most on Alistair, the ghost meeting the half-crazed gaze with a quirked eyebrow.

"Norman," Mike stated as he motioned towards the boy without taking his eyes off of Alistair, "Are you aware that there is a ghost of a European aristocrat following you around?"

"Yeah, that's kind of why we're here," Norman explained, "That's Alistair Fenton, he's my friend Danny's ancestor."

Mike then glanced towards Danny before looking at Alistair again.

"I know you," he said as he pointed towards Danny, "You were the boy the reapers were following."

"That's also kind of why we're here," Norman repeated.

Mike's eyes finally shifted fully away from Alistair and focused instead on Danny.

"Something happened to you that day, didn't it?" Mike inquired, "That's why the reaper was following you."

"Well, I did die of a little while that day," Danny answered, gesturing at his still obvious injuries, "So, yeah, something went down."

"Why?" Mike questioned, "What did the reapers want with you?"

"It turns out there's something special about my family," Danny explained, "Essentially, I both have and don't have a soul at the same time. Because of that, the Grim Reaper decided to recruit me to stop some kind of bad thing he thinks is going to happen."

Silence fell over the clearing as Mike stared at Danny for a few moments.

"Oh," Mike finally said, "I don't think we want that."

"No," Norman agreed, "That's why we came here. We know that Danny and Alistair have some kind of power. I mean, Danny can already see ghosts and stuff. So, we wanted to take them somewhere out of the way where they could practice with what they can do."

"Well, I suppose this is a better place than most for something like that," Mike agreed with a nod, "Look, I'm just going to go back inside and….take care of a few things. Just try not to….I don't know….burn my house down or something."

"Sure thing, Uncle Mike," Norman agreed with a nod, prompting Mike to nod back at him and reenter his shack.

"Well, he seemed to be a….peculiar gentleman," Alistair commented after Mike had left, "But I have heard that possessing the Sight can weigh heavy on the soul."

Glancing over at Norman, Danny watched as the boy's eyes fell to his feet.

"How about you keep your opinions to yourself for now, alright?" Danny whispered as he shot the ghost a pointed look. Alistair mainly eyed Danny in response before shrugging.

"So, it sounds like you guys can practice here," Neil commented as he turned towards Danny and where he thought Alistair was, "What did your grandpa ghost want to do?"

Danny smirked as Alistair gave Neil a withering glare.

"I'm curious what you've got up your sleeve too, old man," Danny agreed.

"Very well," Alistair replied as he eyed Danny, "I believe the secret lies in what the Reaper told us about how you have the capacity for a second soul. Combined with what I had read during my life about a spirit's ability to possess a human and I have come up with a hypothesis."

"Okay, what should I do?" Danny questioned.

"I merely need you to stand there," Alistair replied as he turned to face Danny, "And brace yourself."

"Brace myself for-?" Danny began to ask in confusion but was interrupted as Alistair shoved his arm into the young man's mouth.

To Danny, it felt as though he had swallowed a glass of ice water, which had now frozen solid in his throat, causing him to let out a few panicked chokes. Alistair, for his part, looked impassively into Danny's eyes.

"Whoa!" Norman shouted in shock.

"What!?" Neil asked, Norman's shout causing him to jump in surprise, "What happened!?"

"Alistair just shoved his arm down Danny's throat!" Norman explained, before his eyes widened in shock, "I think he's trying to climb inside!"

"Oh man, I'm happy I can't see that!" Neil replied.

As Norman spoke, Alistair grabbed Danny's lower jaw with his other hand, and yanked it down, causing, to Norman's shock and Danny's horror, the young man's mouth to extend all the way to the center of his chest. After he did so, Alistair stuck his head into Danny's maw and began to pull himself in. As Alistair proceeded to climb down Danny's throat, the force of the action caused Danny to bend backwards at the knees, somehow going nearly horizontal without falling over.

"Geez Louise, I can see that though!" Neil exclaimed, "What's happening!?"

"I don't know," Norman whispered, his eyes wide.

Eventually, Alistair completely disappeared down Danny's throat. For a moment, Danny stayed in that impossible position, his gaping mouth pointed towards the sky. Then, as if nothing had happened, Danny closed his mouth and straightened up.

"Danny?" Norman said hesitantly, "Are you okay?"

As Danny turned to face Norman and Neil, he seemed to change before the boys' eyes. Danny's skin pale, almost deathly pallid, while his black hair turned into a shock of pure white. As Danny's gaze fell on the boys, Norman saw that the young man's eyes had changed from blue to a glowing, eerie shade of green.

"Whoa," Danny whispered as he looked down at his hands, flexing the fingers of each as he did so.

" _My, my, my,_ " Alistair's voice whispered in Danny's head, " _Now this is….peculiar_."

From inside the darkened house, Mike Penderghast watched the proceedings through a dirty window, a phone held up to his ear.

"Stan?" he whispered, "Yeah, it's Mike. I think something big is happening."

Mike's gaze was focused on Danny as he spoke, a trickle of sweat running down his temple.

"Something bad."

A/N: Another fun chapter to write, especially getting to introduce my version of Danny's ghost form. Hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!


	6. The Phantom

**Chapter 6: The Phantom**

"Danny?" Tucker's voice called through the woods that sat on the outskirts of Blithe Hollow, his voice echoing off the slumbering trees surrounding him, "Danny, are you here man?"

"Up here!" Danny called from further down the barely visible path that Tucker was on.

"Man, this better be good," Tucker muttered to himself, "I don't wander through some spooky forest after some spooky graveyard up to spooky Old Man Penderghast's house for just anything, you know."

Eventually, Tucker emerged into the clearing that the Hanging Tree and Mike Penderghast's shack occupied, finding Danny waiting there by himself, the black clouds hanging overhead casting the whole area in a dark gloom.

"Hey man," Danny greeted with a smile and a wave with his cast-covered arm.

"This better be good, Danny," Tucker stated with a good natured smile, "I had a very busy Saturday afternoon scheduled for doing absolutely nothing."

"Sorry, I promise it's worth your valuable time," Danny replied with a chuckle before his smile faded to a look of unease, "It's something important."

"Is everything okay, man?" Tucker stated, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Tucker," Danny explained, "Something's been going on with me lately. Something big."

"Wow, man," Tucker replied, looking like he had been caught off guard, but he gave his friend an encouraging smile, "You know, I had always wondered what it would be like in this situation, but I have to say that right off the bat, the first thing I feel is honored."

"Honored?" Danny questioned in confusion, "I don't understand."

"I mean you're coming out to me, right?" Tucker asked, "I'm just going to let you know that people are pretty open about this sort of thing around here. Sure, there are a couple of assholes around here, but look at Mitch. He came out of the closet years ago and everyone loves him."

"Wha-, no," Danny groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "No, Tucker, I'm not….I'm not gay, Tucker."

"Oh," Tucker replied, grimacing, "I guess this is kind of awkward then, huh?"

"Yeah, just a little," Danny sighed.

"Alright, sorry, let's try that again," Tucker said, "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, Danny did his best to calm his nerves as his anxiety set in again.

"You remember when I got hit by the bus a little while back?" Danny questioned, not knowing how else to start the conversation.

"Uh, yeah man," Tucker replied in confusion, "I was….I was kind of there."

"Right," Danny agreed as he scratched the back of his head, "Now, do you remember….remember the part where I died?"

"You mean when your heart stopped?" Tucker clarified, still not understanding where Danny was going with this, "Yeah man, that was pretty scary."

"Yeah, well," Danny paused as he tried to figure out the right words before continuing, "Something happened to me then."

"Something other than your heart stopping?" Tucker questioned, his brow knitting together.

"Yeah, basically, when I died, I went somewhere," Danny explained, "And I brought something back with me."

"Brought something back?" Tucker echoed, "Dude, you're not making a lot of sense right now."

"This is pointless," Alistair said from where he stood to Danny's right, "Trying to explain the situation to your friend is only going to convince him that you've lost your mind. We have to show him."

"If we show him, we might give him a heart attack," Danny hissed under his breath.

"A what?" Alistair questioned in confusion.

"Look, just shut up and let me think," Danny snapped.

"Danny?" Tucker spoke up, "Who are you talking to?"

A spike of icy fear lanced through Danny's heart as he turned his attention back towards Tucker, who was watching him with wide eyes and a hesitant posture.

"Well, now he believes you're conversing with voices in your mind," Alistair observed, "This is not an improvement."

"Uh," Danny mumbled, "I….I mean…."

"Dude, maybe….maybe we should go to the hospital," Tucker said, his tone attempting to be calming, "I'm sure someone there could help you."

"I think I've seen enough of this farce," Alistair growled before he turned his attention towards Danny.

"Wait, stop!" Danny exclaimed.

"It's okay, man, they're going to help you get OH MY GOD!" Tucker screamed as he watched Danny's mouth open up like a python's while he bent backwards impossibly far at the knees. Tucker's screams mixed with the horrifying croaking noise that emminated from Danny's throat, causing a flock of birds in a nearby tree to take flight. A moment later, Danny's mouth closed and he stood up straight, his hair having gone snow white and his expressionless eyes now glowing green.

Tucker continued screaming.

The screaming seemed to knock Danny out of whatever daze he was in and he blinked his eyes rapidly while glancing around to regain his bearings. As his eyes fell on Tucker, he sighed.

"See, this is what I wanted to avoid," Danny muttered to himself, "He's about to have a panic attack!"

" _Better this than getting yourself locked up in an insane asylum_ ," Alistair's voice countered inside Danny's head.

Grunting in annoyance but offering no further argument, Danny cautiously approached Tucker.

"Tucker," he said gently, his voice being drowned out by his friend's screaming, "Hey, Tucker, it's alright, man."

Tucker's only response was to continue screaming.

Sighing again, Danny quickly stepped forward and placed his hand over Tucker's mouth, silencing his screams.

"Okay, that's enough," Danny said, keeping his voice low as he spoke to Tucker, who watched him with wide, frightened eyes, "Alright, I know this is weird, but it's me. I'm still Danny. I'm not going to hurt you. Do you understand?"

Tucker nodded.

"Okay, cool," Danny replied, "I'm going to let you go now. You're not going to scream, are you?"

Tucker shook his head.

"Good," Danny stated before he removed his hand from Tucker's mouth and took a step back. For a moment, Tucker did nothing but breath deeply and stare at Danny.

"Dude, your hand is ice cold," Tucker eventually managed to say.

"Yeah, I know," Danny replied.

"Your hair turned white," Tucker continued, "Your eyes turned green."

"Yeah, I know about that too," Danny answered.

"...What the hell, man!?" Tucker whispered, a tone of panic rising in his voice.

"Hey, we're not going to freak out, remember?" Danny said, holding his hands up to try and urge Tucker to stay calm.

"You gotta cut me some slack, dude!" Tucker hissed, "You just pulled a move out of the Exorcist a minute ago! I need some time to adjust!"

"Okay, okay," Danny allowed, watching as Tucker began to pace back and forth.

"Alright, you're going to have to explain this all to me," Tucker said after a moment of recollecting himself.

"It's kind of a long story, dude," Danny admitted.

"Well, I'm going to have to hear it, man!" Tucker exclaimed as he spun toward Danny, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, sure, okay," Danny replied, doing his best to keep his friend calm.

Danny went over what had happened that fateful day, starting with the bus accident, going through his trip through the Underworld and ending on his meeting with the Grim Reaper and everything that followed.

"Okay, so the afterlife is real?" Tucker questioned, having now crouched down and wrapped his arms around his knees, staring at the ground as he spoke.

"Yeah, I guess so," Danny confirmed with a shrug.

"Cool, cool," Tucker replied with a nod, "And so the Grim Reaper did all this so that you could come back to stop some evil supernatural stuff happening in town?"

"That seems to be the gist, yeah," Danny agreed.

"So, basically….you're a superhero?" Tucker questioned as he turned his attention towards Danny, his eyes wide with childish wonder.

"...What?" Danny asked, blinking in surprise at Tucker's abrupt change in demeanor.

"Dude, you're totally a superhero," Tucker quickly said as he stood up, "You already can see dead people and have a ghost sidekick. Do you know what other powers you have?"

" _What is he talking about_?" Alistair inquired, sounding annoyed, " _What is a superhero and why did he call me a sidekick?_ "

"Don't worry about it," Danny mumbled back, causing Tucker's face to light up.

"Oh man, are you talking to the ghost right now!?" Tucker questioned before he quickly clamped his hands over his mouth, "I'm sorry, that's probably a private conversation."

"It's fine," Danny replied with a shake of his head before he looked at Tucker in confusion, "You're taking this way better than I had expected."

"Well, yeah, once I got over the initial shock, all that was left was the fact that my friend has freaking superpowers!" Tucker exclaimed, "So, what can you do?"

"Well, I've only experimented with it a little," Danny admitted hesitantly.

"Well, come on, let's see it!" Tucker urged, "I mean, if you're going to save the town, you're going to need to know what you can do, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Danny agreed with a nod and a smile.

"Well, let's get to work!" Tucker said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly.

" _What does he take us for?_ " Alistair grumbled as Danny took a few steps away from Tucker, " _A dancing monkey here for his amusement?_ "

"Oh, stop it," Danny mumbled, "He's right. We don't know the full extent of what we can do yet, and the only way we'll figure that out is with practice."

Alistair didn't argue any further, but Danny could sense his ancestors resentment.

"Okay, so what do you know about what you?" Tucker asked.

"Well, I can see dead people now," Danny answered.

"So, like you can see all ghosts, not just your pet one?" Tucker inquired.

"Dude, if you keep that sidekick stuff up I think you're literally going to end up being haunted by the ghost of my ancestor," Danny said with an unamused tone.

"Sorry, sorry," Tucker replied, "But is that it?"

"That and I can change my hair and eye color," Danny answered with a shrug.

"Alright, well obviously, you must be able to do other stuff," Tucker observed, "So, I think we're going to have to do a few experiments."

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" Danny inquired.

Without warning, Tucker scooped a small rock off the ground and tossed it at Danny, hitting him square between the eyes.

"Ow!" Danny shouted in surprise more than pain as he put his hand to the spot where he had been struck, "What the hell was that for!?"

"Sorry!" Tucker apologised with an embarrassed grimace, "I figured you've got like, ghost powers, right? And ghosts can walk through walls and stuff so I thought you might be able to as well."

"So, you threw a rock at me!?" Danny demanded, looking at his friend incredulously.

"I also thought your powers might also activate on instinct," Tucker admitted with a shrug and an embarrassed smile.

" _I hope you realize that your friend is an idiot,_ " Alistair commented as Danny let out an exasperated sigh, " _Perhaps my methods of experimentation will prove more effective_."

"Alright, Alistair," Danny said aloud, "What do you have in mind?"

" _As should be obvious by now, our abilities stem from a spiritual source_ ," Alistair explained, " _As such, I feel if we become more in touch with that source, greater abilities will reveal themselves._ "

"Alright, that makes sense," Danny agreed, "How do you suggest I get in touch with my spiritual side?"

" _In need you to empty your mind_ ," Alistair instructed, " _Clear it of all thoughts_."

"Okay," Danny agreed with a nod as he closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. As he let it out, he felt a sense of calm fell over him.

"Danny?" Tucker spoke up, snapping his friend's concentration, "Hey, Danny? What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to concentrate, Tucker," Danny answered with an exasperated sigh, opening his eyes to look at Tucker, "I kind of need quiet for that."

"Oh, right, sorry," Tucker apologized, "I'll just….yeah."

Letting out another sigh, Danny closed his eyes again and began to take calming breathes once more. As Danny felt calm pass over him, a new sense came over him as well.

" _Do you feel that_?" Alistair inquired.

"Yeah," Danny muttered, "It feels like I'm weightless."

" _Yes, I believe that we've managed to more merge our spiritual selves_ ," Alistair commented.

"Uh, Danny?" Tucker spoke up.

"Not now, Tucker, I'm concentrating," Danny said with a hint of annoyance.

"But Danny….dude…." Tucker urged, his voice tinged by wonder.

"Tucker, come on man," Danny said with another exasperated sigh, "You wanted me to figure out how to use my powers but I can't do that if you don't-"

Danny cut himself off as he opened his eyes to look at Tucker, only to find that he was now floating a few feet off the ground. His eyes going wide, Danny locked gazes with Tucker, who was staring at him in awe.

"I'm flying," Danny whispered in disbelief before an excited smile spread across his face, "I'm flying!"

Thrusting his hands above his head, Danny let out a whoop of triumph. The action, however, shifted Danny's momentum, causing him to turn in midair until he was floating upside down.

"Okay, okay," Danny said as he recollected himself and tried to figure out how to spin himself rightside up again, "So, it's more like floating at the moment, but it's a start."

"Baby steps, dude!" Tucker called up to him with an excited laugh, "Baby steps!"

" _He is correct, Daniel_ ," Alistair agreed, a certain amount of satisfaction in his voice, " _We must learn to walk before we can run_."

"Well then," Danny said as he managed to swing himself back up into an upright position, "I guess we better get practicing."

 _Later_ ,

Letting out a cry of exhilaration, Danny flew along the ground, his body just inches above the ground, causing a cloud of grit to follow in his wake, the now setting sun hidden behind dark clouds that threatened rain. Speeding towards Tucker, Danny saw that his friend had his cell phone out and was clearly recording the display. Flying towards his friend Danny did a few flips and barrel rolls to show off, before holding out his hand to high five Tucker as he flew past. Acting quickly, Tucker stretched out his own hand and the two slapped palms. However, the action threw off Danny's momentum and he began tumbling uncontrollably through the air as he let out a cry of surprise.

"Look out, dude!" Tucker called as he saw Danny was flipping towards the clustered trees that stood at the edge of the clearing.

Able to catch a glance of the trees as he tumbled towards them, Danny reacted by curling himself into a ball and scrunching his face up in concentration. As he did, Danny's body took on a wispy quality to it, as if his form was now made of smoke instead of flesh and blood. As he impacted the tree, Danny seemed to dissolve into a greyish cloud that flowed through the tree instead of striking it. A moment later, the cloud reappeared on the other side of the tree and retook Danny's form, allowing the young man to regain control of his flight and stop himself in the air.

"Whoa," Danny said in amazement, chuckling as he patted himself down to make sure everything was where it should be, "What a rush."

" _You must concentrate, Daniel!_ " Alistair admonished him, causing Danny to roll his eyes as he flew back to the clearing, " _Power such as ours has no room for error or tomfoolery_."

"Come on, old man," Danny said with a chuckle, zipping around the surrounding trees as he went, "Learn to live a little."

" _Your attempts at humor are even worse than your discipline,_ " Alistair grumbled as Danny touched down next to Tucker.

"Dude, flight and intangibility?" Tucker said as he pounded fist with Danny, "Pretty slick stuff."

"I don't even think that's half of what I can do," Danny stated with an excited grin.

Tucker looked like he was about to say something but paused as he felt a raindrop impact his forehead. Holding his hand out, Tucker felt a few more raindrops impact his skin before the clouds opened up above them.

"Looks like figuring out the rest will have to wait until later!" Tucker said, hunching his shoulders in a vain attempt to protect him from the weather.

"Yeah, man," Danny agreed as he pulled up the hood of the black sweatshirt he was wearing, "Thanks for your help today. I'll catch you later?"

"No problem," Tucker replied before looking at Danny in confusion, "But aren't we going the same way?"

"Yeah," Danny confirmed with a nod, "But I'm going to take a short cut."

With that, Danny lifted off into the air and flew out of the clearing, disappearing from Tucker's view over the canopy of the surrounding trees.

"Man, that's so unfair," Tucker groaned before a small smile spread across his face, "But it's still wicked cool though."

 _Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier_ ,

Near the center of town, Dash and Courtney walked down the sidewalk, the young man's arm wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulders. Behind them, Mitch walked hand in hand with another young Caucasian man.

This young man was shorter than the others, only coming up to Mitch's shoulder. He had short black hair and warm brown eyes, his lower face covered in a stubbley beard and black gages in his ears. He wore a dark grey, zip up sweatshirt open over a black t-shirt advertising a band the other three had never heard of. He also wore a pair of dark skinny jeans held up by a studded belt, a pair of beat-up black sneakers, and a pair of large headphones that he had looped around around his neck.

"Look, I know it's supposed to be, like a classic horror movie and stuff," Dash said as the group walked, "I just don't get why he would hang around to help the kid if he was already dead."

"Because the ghosts don't know they're dead," the young man spoke up, "You'd know that if you didn't spend half the movie making out with Courtney."

"Yeah, whatever Scott," Dash replied with a dismissive snort.

"It's mostly my fault," Courtney admitted as she took a sip from the movie theater soda she had with her, "I'd already seen the movie a couple of times."

"Really?" the young man, Scott, questioned in surprise, "Doesn't really seem like your thing, Courtney."

"My brother and I were pretty into it as kids," Courtney explained.

"Yeah, I can see why your weirdo brother would like a movie about a kid talking to ghosts," Dash commented with a snort.

Noticing Courtney's body language had become uncomfortable, Mitch turned his attention towards Scott.

"How's the music stuff going, babe?" Mitch questioned.

"As well as it ever has," Scott replied with a sigh, "I've got all these great songs written but no band to play them with."

"Hey, Courtney," Mitch spoke up, bringing the young woman's attention to him, "Didn't you use to play bass when we were kids?"

"You can play an instrument?" Dash questioned as he quirked an eyebrow at Courtney.

"I mean, my parents made me take lessons for a few years," Courtney admitted, a blush coloring her cheeks as she spoke, "It was alright."

"I remember you being pretty good," Mitch added, causing Courtney to shoot him a glare.

"It's whatever," Courtney insisted turning her attention towards Dash as she spoke, "It's not something I do anymore."

Quirking an eyebrow as he glanced between Mitch and Courtney, Scott shrugged and let out a sigh.

"It's whatever anyway," Scott stated, "Even if I did have a bassist and I played drums, the band would still need at least one other person, if we could get someone who could play guitar and sing that is."

"Why don't you sing?" Mitch suggested, "They're your songs, after all."

"I love how supportive you're being right now, honey, but I can't carry a tune to save my life," Scott said, smiling up at Mitch as the group passed by a bar.

"I bet you sing beautifully," Mitch commented with a smile of his own.

"The Animal Control Officer who thought I was strangling a cat that one time would disagree," Scott replied as he stopped and turned towards Mitch, Dash and Courtney pausing to look back at them,"But still…."

Standing up on his tiptoes, Scott kissed Mitch, his boyfriend obligingly bending down to reciprocate. At the same time, the door leading into the bar opened and five rough looking men all but stumbled out. As they did, one of them looked over at Scott and Mitch before making a sound of disgust. Hearing this, Scott's brow furrowed in confusion before looking over at the man.

"You got a problem, big boy?" Scott questioned, catching the other men's attentions as well as raindrops began to fall from the darkened sky.

"A problem?" the man questioned, his words slurring, "Yeah, it's bad enough that we have to tolerate degenerates like you these days, you don't have to go around shoving our faces in it."

Blinking in surprise, Dash unlooped his arm from around Courtney's shoulders and stepped up next to Mitch, his friend shooting the man a withering glare.

"Yeah, well, we've got to share oxygen with assholes like you, but you don't see us complaining about it," Scott shot back.

"What did you say to me, you little sissy?" the drunken man snarled as he stumbled towards Scott, the rain having begun to fall in earnest now. Before the man could reach Scott, Mitch stepped between the two, placing his hand against the man's chest to stop him.

"Back up, man," Mitch said with a warning tone.

"Don't you tell me what to do, you goddamned fruitcake," the drunken man spat as he pushed Mitch's hand off him and got right up in the younger man's face.

"Hey, he said back off!" Dash shouted as he stepped forward and shoved the drunken man in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and forcing his friends to catch and steady him.

"What are you?" the man growled as he straightened himself, all five of the group glaring at Dash, "Another homo?"

"Me? No man, I'm as straight as they come," Dash commented with a chuckle as he indicated towards Courtney with his thumb, "In fact, I bet my girl is twice as hot as whatever old hag you crawl into bed with every night."

"Dash!" Courtney snapped angrily.

"Babe, I'm just trying to pay you a compliment," Dash explained as he looked back at Courtney before he began turning back to the drunken man, "Now, why don't you get out of here before I shove your head up your homophobic-"

Dash was cut off as the drunken man stepped forward and punched him directly in the stomach. Dash let out a choked weeze of pain as the air was forced out of his lungs, his eyes wide as he fell to his knees.

"Dash!" Courtney cried out in shock.

"Hey!" Mitch shouted before he punched the drunken man in the face, sending him reeling. A moment later, one of the other men responded by stepping forward and punching Mitch in the face before socking him in the stomach.

"Mitch!" Scott shouted in a panic as Courtney covered her mouth in horror.

"Get out of here, Scott!" Mitch shouted as two of the men grabbed hold of his arms, "Take Courtney and get help!"

As another of the men hit Mitch in the face again, Scott grabbed hold of Courtney's hand and moved to flee the scene with her.

"Oh no, you don't!" the first man snarled as he grabbed hold of Courtney's other arm and yanked her out of Scott's grasp, twisting her arm behind her back and wrapping his arm around her neck in the process.

"Hey!" Scott shouted as he double backed to help Courtney, only to have one of the other men step forward and kick him between the legs. Scott let out a small whine of pain as he clutched his groin and collapsed to his knees.

"Scott!" Mitch shouted angrily as he tried to pull free of his captors only for another one of the men to hit him in the stomach.

"Come on, boys," the first man said as Courtney struggled against his grip, "Let's take these punks around back and teach them some manners."

"Help!" Courtney shrieked as the five men began dragging her and her friends into the alley to the side of the bar, mascara-filled tears mixing with the rain on her cheeks, "Somebody-"

"No, no, no," the first man whispered in Courtney's ear, covering her mouth to muffle her cries as he dragged her into the alley as well, "We don't want anyone interrupting our fun, do we?"

At that moment, Danny was flying overhead, enjoying the feeling of freedom it gave him in spite of the falling rain. The feeling left him as he the sound of Courtney's cries reached his ears, the rain distorting the words but catching his attention all the same. Slowing to a stop, Danny looked around as he hovered in the air before spotting movement in the alley below him. Floating down, Danny squinted his eyes to try and get a better look at what was happening through the rain.

"That doesn't look good," Danny muttered before his eyes went wide in surprise, "Oh my God, Mitch and Courtney are down there!"

" _It would seem those men are of ill intent_ ," Alistair observed.

"I-I need to get help!" Danny stated as he looked around, trying to decide which way to go.

" _Get?_ " Alistair questioned with a puzzled tone, " _Daniel, you are the help_."

"Y-You want me to stop these guys!?" Danny asked incredulously.

" _When I was alive, I was a sworn knight of the realm_ ," Alistair stated, " _One of the duties of that office was to protect those who could not protect themselves_."

"That's great, but….but I'm just a kid!" Danny argued.

" _In my age, you would be a man grown_ ," Alistair replied, " _And even then, you posses power beyond that of a mere man_."

"B-But, I've never been in a fight before," Danny retorted, but his resolve was clearly weakening.

" _Then it is fortunate that I have seen more battles than those men have seen days_ ," Alistair stated.

"But how does that…." Danny began to say before he trailed off, his mind flashing through the experience of dozens of battles, the knowledge of fighting with a sword, with a spear and with his bare fists flooding into his brain.

"Whoa," Danny whispered in awe, "Did….Did you just share your knowledge with me?"

" _Yes, it would appear to be part of our connection_ ," Alistair confirmed, " _It would seem I have gained extensive knowledge in your 'video games' in exchange_. _This does not strike me as an even exchange_."

Danny did not reply as he looked at his hands, feeling as though they had somehow changed without changing at all. Another cry caught his attention, and as he looked down, he saw one of the men throw Courtney against one of the walls, the young woman sinking to the ground in pain. At the same time, Mitch attempted to rise to his feet, only to be kicked in the side, forcing back to his hands and knees.

" _Come Daniel, surely you can not stand idly by and watch this injustice unfold_ ," Alistair urged, " _You put your life on the line to protect a stranger. There is a boldness in your heart. Will you show me that boldness? Is this not something one of your 'superheroes' would do_?"

"A superhero usually disguises themselves," Danny stated.

" _It would be best if we do this incognito,_ " Alistair agreed, " _We do not want to draw too much attention to ourselves before we know what forces we are aligned against. I shall take extra pains to conceal your identity. Are we in agreement then_?"

In response, a determined look crossed Danny's face and he clenched his hands into fists.

" _Yes, that shall do_ ," Alistair commented with approval, " _Now, come. These men have sowed the wind. Let us teach them what it is to reap the whirlwind_."

With that, Danny began to lower himself to the ground, pulling his hood closer and covering his cast with the sleeve of his sweatshirt as he went.

"Alright boys," the first man said, looking around at the teenagers laying on the ground in various forms of pain, "What should we do now?"

"I think we should break the little homo's jaw for giving us lip," one of the other men suggested.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," the first man said threateningly as he picked a discarded length of pipe off the ground and advanced on Scott.

" **Hey!** " Danny yelled as the man began to raise the pipe, his voice now echoing mixture of his and Alistair's, " **Leave him alone!** "

Danny's sudden appearance caught everyone off guard, causing the first man to pause in his attacked so he could turn and look at the young man.

"Get lost, kid," the first man ordered, "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

" **All I see are a bunch of braindead losers picking on some kids** ," Danny retorted.

"Kids?" one of the men asked with a snort, "And what does that make you, boy?"

Slowly, Danny turned his head to look at the man, and the drunk couldn't repress the shudder he felt as he saw Danny's glowing green eyes in the depths of his hood.

" **Why don't you come and find out?** " Danny challenged.

Refinding his resolve, the man narrowed his eyes at Danny and stomped towards him with clenched fists. Pulling his arm back, the man through a haymaker at Danny's face, the young man not so much as flinching in response. Just as the attack was about to hit him, Danny's form became insubstantial, his face morphing and twisting like a cloud of smoke as the man's fist traveled through his jaw. A moment later, the man's fist had fully passed through Danny's face and he took a stumbling step to the side while the young man's form regained solidity.

A hush fell over the alley as everyone stared at Danny in open mouthed shock, the only sound coming from the rain pattering against the ground and the open dumpster at the end of the alley. The man who had tried to punch Danny stared at his now trembling hand, the skin as pale and as cold as if he had just stuck it into a bucket of ice water. Slowly, he turned his attention to Danny, and felt his heart skip a beat when he found the young man's glowing green eyes boring into him.

" **My turn,** " Danny stated with a savage grin before lashing out at the man, his fist connecting with the drunk's chin. There was a crunching noise as part of the jaw cracked, the force of the blow picking the man off his feet, carried him into the air and sent him flying a few yards through the air before he crashed to the ground hard on his back.

The four remaining men, along with the group of teenagers, all looked at the now unconscious man in shock before slowly turning their attentions towards Danny still standing at the end of the alley. Danny slowly swept his gaze across everyone before him before another smile spread across his features.

" **Boo.** "

Letting out a cry that was a mixture of fright and challenge, another one of the men went running down the alley towards Danny. In response, Danny rushed at the man, his face morphing into an impassive mask. As he reached the man, Danny leapt at him, turning insubstantial a split second before they collided. Passing through the man, Danny reformed on the other side and spun around in midair. As he landed, Danny grabbed the back of the man's shirt and yanked on it. The reverse in momentum pulled the man completely off his feet and he slammed his head and back against the ground, the force of the blow knocking him out cold.

At that moment, a third man tried to attack Danny from behind. Before he could, Danny's head spun completely around on his neck, his hood falling off in the process, and the man came to a stumbling stop as he let out a cry of horror and disgust. Taking advantage of the man's fear, Danny turned his whole body round as well before taking a deep breath and letting out a bellowing, demonic roar, his jaw distending to an unnatural degree while his mouth seemed to become a bottomless black hole. The man let out a scream of terror in response and promptly fled from the alleyway, a wet patch clearly not caused by the rain forming in the crotch of his pants.

"Look out!" Dash shouted as the sound of a cocking gun reached Danny's ears while the young man was pulling his hood back up. Turning towards the sound, Danny found one of the men had pulled out a gun and had leveled it at him.

"Die, freak!" the man shouted before he open fired with his gun a split second after Danny went insubstantial again. Instead of striking him, the bullets zipped through Danny's smokey form and struck the wall behind with a series of loud impacts. The man screamed as he fired his weapon while Danny remained impassive as the bullets passed harmlessly through him. The man continued screaming even as his weapon began to click emptily. Slowly, the man's war cry died in his throat as Danny reassumed solid form, looking down at himself before turning his attention to the drunk. As the man's face turned ashen, Danny stepped forward and kicked the drunk in the stomach, sending him flying back into the wall before he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Slowly, Danny turned his attention towards the final man, the one who had instigated the conflict. Still clutching the discarded pipe, the man watched Danny with wide eyes as the young man began to advance on him.

"S-Stay back!" the man threatened with a trembling voice, "I-I'm warning you!"

Danny paid no heed, his glowing green eyes boring a hole into the man's skull.

"Get back!" the man screamed as he swung the pipe at Danny, but the bludgeon passed harmlessly through Danny's insubstantial form. The man tried twice more to no avail, desperately backpedaling from Danny in the process. As another attack failed to connect, Danny went solid, grabbed hold of the pipe, and went intangible again, causing the pipe to flow out of the man's hand like so much smoke. Looking at his hand in surprise, the man then turned his attention back towards Danny just in time for Danny to resume solid form and strike the drunk on the side of the head with the pipe.

His world spinning, the drunk fell to his knees as Danny tossed the pipe contemptuously over his shoulder. Reaching down, Danny grabbed the man by the front of his shirt before lifting him off his feet.

" **You know what you are?** " Danny questioned rhetorically, " **Garbage. And you know what you do with garbage, right?** "

Before the man could offer any reply, Danny threw him through the air, the drunk landing in the dumpster at then end of the alley with a thud before the dumpster's lid fell shut with a clang of finality.

Danny looked at the dumpster for a moment before turning around. As he did, he found Courtney and Dash back on their feet, the two helping Mitch and Scott back up. All four paused and stared at Danny when they discovered he was looking at them.

" **Are you all okay?** " Danny asked, trying to sound as nonthreatening as possible.

For a moment, none of them spoke, so shocked by the turn of events that they couldn't form thoughts, let alone sentences.

"Y-Yeah," Mitch managed to say after a moment, "Thanks to you."

As Mitch spoke, the sound of approaching sirens reached Danny's ears.

" **Sounds like the cops are on their way,** " Danny observed before he turned and began making his way to the back of the alley, " **Which is my cue to leave.** "

"Wait!" Courtney called after him, causing Danny to pause and look back at the teens, "Who are you?"

" **Me?** " Danny asked with a grin as something that the Reaper had said to him came to his mind, " **I'm just a phantom**."

With that, Danny crouched down before springing into the air and went soaring into the stormy sky, quickly disappearing from sight. The four teens looked after him in amazement, unconcerned as the storm above battered their upturned faces with cold raindrops. After a moment, Dash broke the silence.

"That guy," he said, his face split with an amazed smile, "Was so cool!"

A/N: So, I've been on a roll with my writing lately, as you can see by how quick I've managed to put stuff out. Hope you guys liked this one, because I had a blast writing it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!


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